Seductive Relations
by gildedirises
Summary: Roy Mustang is a master manipulator, used to playing on the emotions of others. But what happens when his own emotions start to get the better of him where a certain blond alchemist is concerned? A series of RoyxEd manga-based stories. Warning:YAOI
1. A feast for the senses

**Disclaimer:** Don't own FMA, but I do love it!

* * *

Sweat dampened the boy's forehead and his lips were parted slightly as he panted, apparently exhausted with the effort. His golden eyes rolled back in his head and he let out a groan of pure pleasure. He flopped back against the leather couch with the most relaxed, satisfied expression Roy Mustang had ever seen.

"Liked it that much, did you?" Roy asked with a smirk.

"Fucking incredible," Ed mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.

"It was amazing, I must admit," Roy conceded. "At one point, I honestly didn't think you'd be able to finish, but you pushed past the pain and kept going."

Ed snorted softly. "As if I'd ever give up at anything I wanted to do." The gilded eyes slid open as he glanced up at the Colonel. "So… when can we do this again?"

Roy laughed softly. "It's true, teenagers are insatiable."

Ed frowned. "I'm serious, Bastard. I could do this every day for the rest of my life."

Roy's glance took in the spread of empty dishes in front of Ed and the devastated buffet table. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until next year –"

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**AN:** This chapter is a lot more crack fiction than most of the rest of the chapters will be. It's just a test to see where your minds reside... XD


	2. Honey

**AN:** These stories will be manga-based, so you will note differences in the details from the anime. Ed is already 15/16 and a state alchemist on his way back from dealing with Cornello when he and Al single-handedly save Hakuro (though I do love the addition of Maes to this episode of the anime). As his reward, he asks Roy to hook him up with someone practicing bio-alchemy. That's how he meets Tucker.

Before he takes Ed to see Tucker, Roy comments that he hasn't talked to Ed in a while and asks if he wants to have tea. This imaginary piece assumes that Havoc had instructions to bring just Ed back to the Colonel's office after he and Al left Tucker's house.

Thank you very much, TenshiShanai, for being brave enough to be my first ever review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Credit Arakawa for her brilliant work.

* * *

"Fullmetal, could you just –" Roy Mustang growled the words softly, but the teen seemed intent on ignoring him. Roy closed his eyes to try and block out the sight, but that just made the noises even more suggestive. "Edward!" Roy barked.

Incandescent amber eyes rose to meet Roy's black gaze, full of innocent surprise. Warm honey mixed with the teen's saliva ran down over the boy's hand and dripped into the expanding pool of gold on Roy's desk, next to the steaming cup of tea that seemed long forgotten at the moment. Roy's eye wouldn't stop twitching and he had to cover his face with his hand. He sighed in frustration.

Ed slid the two fingers he currently had buried up to the second knuckle out of his mouth with a wet sucking noise that almost did Roy in. "What?" the teen griped.

Roy seemed to fixate on an aurous bead of honey that had escaped from the blond alchemist's oral ministrations and was slowly gliding down from those moist, parted lips. Roy licked his own lips. "You're –" Roy had to pause and clear his throat. "You're making a mess all over my desk."

Edward glanced down at the desk, taking in his tea cup, the honey container that still seemed to have more sweet golden liquid leaking down the outside than contained within, and the new golden pool Ed had just added. Edward frowned in aggravation. "I was trying to clean it up," he demonstrated by swiping a gob of honey off the side of the container with his flesh hand, "but you snarked at me for just doing that…" The honey-coated finger disappeared into the moist, warm cavern of the boy's mouth.

Roy couldn't suppress the groan that rose from deep within him as the boy's pink tongue wrapped around his finger and the lips closed tightly as he sucked the sticky substance off. The Colonel managed to change the pitch of the sound from a groan to a growl, but it still came across with more hunger than the anger he intended. Roy snapped, literally, and the teen scooted back in his leather chair as the honey container melted and sizzled in a smelly fireball.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Ed asked when the flame abruptly snuffed out. "I was gonna put some in my tea."

"Try sugar, instead." Roy gestured to the lumps of raw brown sugar in a bowl. He smirked. "Or you could add milk like I do –" He stood up with the small creamer in his hand and leaned over the desk as if to assist the blond.

"Gack! Get that white cow secretion away from me!" The teen used his automail hand to cover his tea cup defensively.

"You know, if you drank more milk, you might get bigger-" Roy began, much more at ease teasing the boy. He even felt some of his internal tension begin to dissipate. Now if only he could do something about that sticky golden bead that crept down over the blond alchemist's chin, like a slow caress. Roy licked his lips again.

Edward practically leaped to his feet. His face flushed and his eyes sparked with fire as he worked up a good rant about the imagined insults regarding his stature.

Roy sat back in his chair, his face bland, and the faintest of smirks turning up a corner of his mouth as he listened to Ed's familiar refrain. He felt like he was finally back in control of the situation. He wasn't exactly sure when he had gone from looking at the blond as a bratty kid to something more. He wasn't even sure what exactly that more was. But the surge of heat that had run through him watching Ed sucking and licking the honey off his fingers was very familiar and very inappropriate to be feeling toward his sixteen year old male subordinate.

"…and you even had Havoc kidnap me and drag me back here without my brother. And for what? So you could piss at me about spilling honey from what was obviously a defective container?" The teen slumped back into the chair as if the effort of finishing his rant drained off what little energy he had left. He yawned.

Roy's expression softened. "It's just been a while since we've had a chance to talk," Roy murmured quietly, repeating his words from earlier that day.

The boy's eyes drifted closed. "Too busy to talk."

"None of your leads has produced anything tangible?"

"Cornello had something, some kind of stone…" Another big yawn cut off the rest of what Ed was going to say.

"Hmm." Roy watched the boy's chin dip toward his chest. Between saving General Hakuro's butt on the train and trying to absorb Tucker's work on chimeras, the kid really was exhausted. But Edward was on to something this time, Roy could feel it. And as indestructible as the teen seemed, Roy felt just a little better about being able to keep him close for a while, even if he didn't honestly think much of Tucker's work. "What did you think of Tucker's chimera experiments?"

Ed's chin rose and his eyes slid open. "He has an amazing library…" Ed trailed off.

"But?" Roy prompted.

"I didn't see anything in his lab that would indicate he had made any progress. I just don't see how he could have gotten something of advanced intelligence out of combining animals. Where's the equivalent exchange?" Sleepy gold eyes searched Roy's face as if looking for answers.

Roy had a nagging suspicion, but since Tucker didn't report to him, it was easier to have Fullmetal look over his work in the interest of scientific exchange. Outwardly, he merely shrugged. "I have every confidence that you'll figure it out. Just –" be careful. He didn't say the rest out loud, in part because he didn't want to send Ed on another rant.

"Yeah, I know. Don't destroy anything," Ed growled, waving his hand dismissively. He yawned again, covering his mouth with his automail hand. His eyes slid closed again. "It's always about the military's money and your freaking reputation. Would it kill you to think about me, for a change?" he grumbled sleepily.

Roy closed his eyes and clenched his fists on his desktop. He did think about Ed. Sometimes he thought he even obsessed about him. But he could never tell the blond that. With his eyes closed he could smell the blended scents of tea, honey, machine oil and wet fabric. He remembered Ed being face down in the snow earlier underneath a big dog at the Tucker house. Since he would have otherwise dried off by now, Roy could only assume that Ed and the dog had had further encounters. Roy couldn't blame the dog. Ed did seem like he'd fit nicely underneath him. Roy could almost feel the powerful muscles of the teen's back pressed to his chest, naked bodies sweating and straining toward mutual ecstasy.

Roy's eyes snapped opened, appalled that he'd let that thought sneak out. He glanced over at the boy to see if he had noticed anything, but Ed's chin had fallen to his chest again and his breathing was slow and regular. Roy pushed back his chair as he rose and circled his desk. He stood over the sleeping blond and just watched him. Al had already told him that Ed could sleep though almost anything. The kidnappers had jabbed him multiple times with their guns, but Ed didn't wake, according to Alphonse, until they mentioned his height.

Roy's eyes were drawn back to that damned bead of honey that had currently pooled in the hollow of Ed's throat. His eyes traced the path it had taken from the boy's moist, sticky lips. He fought back a fierce longing to follow that path with his tongue. He wondered what the boy tasted like, how he would react. He slipped off one of his ignition gloves and reached out to capture the golden bead on his finger. Ed didn't even twitch at the touch.

Roy studied the boy as he slowly brought his honey coated finger up to his lips. He slipped the finger inside his mouth, caressing the sweetness with the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes to savor the taste, inhaling deeply. His conscience told him this was as far as he could go, and that he would be crazy to consider anything more. But his desire told him that he had made a fatal miscalculation. He had gotten a taste of the boy and now his cravings had intensified.

Roy cleared his throat as he opened his eyes again. He gritted his teeth and turned away from the sleeping blond. He schooled his thoughts and desires, leveraging a natural talent and years of experience. He was a master at hiding his true feelings. He just wished he knew how to hide them from himself. He went to the door and grabbed his coat off the coat rack. Without turning around, he growled loudly, "Hey, Bean, if your little nap is over, perhaps you could join me shortly and I'll drive you back to your lodgings. If that isn't too tall of an order for you…"

Roy smirked at the way the kid came out of his sleep coma into full rant mode, grateful he'd put some distance between them, lest he be on the receiving end of an automail fist. It was so easy and fun to push Ed's buttons. He loved to aggravate the blond. At least if Ed hated his guts, there was no way these cravings Roy felt could go any further. He opened the door and followed the raving teen into the hallway, pausing to turn off the lights in his office. The lingering smell of honey hung in the air, just as Ed's taste still lingered in the honey Roy licked off his lips. He shut the door, both on his thoughts and his office, and trailed after the boy like the moon, forever chasing the golden sun.


	3. Comfort

**AN:** I'll do review replies here, both as a way of thanking you for your comments and to let everyone see the responses, since they can see the reviews.

Luna Lunak: There's nothing like Roy contemplating Edward dipped in honey to give you the warm fuzzies on the inside. Perfect to take the chill off a cold day!

Kitsune Tanaka: The first chapter is just for kicks, to see how dirty your minds can get, but more of the content should be like the second chapter. So glad you enjoyed it.

Choas Babe: I blame the first chapter on leftover Thanksgiving delirium – and my own dirty little mind XD

TenshiShanai: Thanks again for getting the review ball rolling! Your lovely compliments are much appreciated.

Now, on with the latest chapter: Ed has just discovered that Tucker combined Nina and Alexander into a chimera in order to pass his State Alchemist annual certification. He does not know about what Scar does to Tucker and Nina yet. (Remember, these are mangaverse, so there are differences from the anime.)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Please credit Hiromu Arakawa for her brilliant work.

* * *

Roy cursed the impulse that sent him to the bar after work. He cursed the several glasses of warm golden comfort he'd poured down his throat to try to drive off the chill that seemed to freeze over his heart. And he cursed the sheer bad luck that sent him down this particular street in the driving rain, in the middle of the night, just in time to see that small figure dressed in that familiar red coat shuffling along aimlessly. But most of all he cursed the fact that he pulled the car over to the curb next to the blond alchemist, leaned over and opened the door. "Get in," he ordered the teen gruffly.

The normally bright gold eyes were dark with shadows, haunted. The boy couldn't even muster his usual snappy comeback. He simply stared at Roy like a lost spirit, cursed to roam the earth for eternity. And at that moment, Roy thought he would give anything to put this particular spirit at ease. Roy looked away, frowning, unable to meet that gaze any longer lest his hardened exterior crack. "That's an order, Fullmetal."

The blond made no reply. Ed simply climbed in the car and sat down next to Roy in the front seat.

Roy glanced over at him when he failed to close the car door. Rain water streamed from the boy's saturated coat and hair onto the seats and floorboard of the car. But Roy felt certain that rain wasn't the only liquid that wet the teen's face. Edward had tried so hard to keep up his tough exterior as he sat on the steps outside Eastern Headquarters earlier today. Roy could still hear the boy's hoarse shout of pain, "We're humans! We can't even save one little girl!"

"Get the door, Fullmetal," Roy murmured gently.

The blond alchemist just looked over at him numbly, so Roy leaned across him and pulled the door closed. His arm brushed against Ed's shoulder and he felt the boy's uncontrolled shivering. A more thorough look showed Roy that the boy's lips were blue, his teeth were quietly chattering, and his flesh hand was trembling. Roy cranked up the heater in the car and stripped off his coat to throw over the teen like a blanket.

Edward clutched the coat reflexively, like a lifeline, and buried his face in the soft, warm fabric. Roy didn't speak, not even sure what to say as the blond seemed to be fighting back a fresh wave of grief. Roy pulled away from the curb and drove on through the dark, damp night.

Roy pulled to a stop in front of his own house and looked over at it in surprise, as if wondering why his brain had reflexively driven him home with Edward in the car. He should have just taken the boy back to his rooms and let Alphonse deal with him. So why was he pulling the key out of the ignition and moving to exit the car? He sighed in aggravation. This was a terrible idea. Roy knew that he was violating his self-imposed rule to keep his subordinates distanced from his personal life. Oh sure, they were all aware of the carefully constructed playboy image, but only Riza Hawkeye, who had known him for so many years, could see through the smoke and mirrors.

Roy gritted his teeth and jumped out of the car into the pouring rain. He was never more grateful that the wool of his military uniform was resistant to the rain. It should keep him from getting completely soaked. He ran around the car, opened the door, and hauled the teen out with a hand on his automail arm. He closed the car door and hustled the blond up his walkway and onto his porch. He realized his house keys were still in his coat pocket and his coat was still wrapped around the boy.

Roy looked at Edward again. The golden eyes were still glassy and distant and both the flesh and automail hands still clutched Roy's coat as if in desperation. Roy realized there was no way he'd be able to take the coat from Ed with him still in this state, so he resigned himself to searching the pockets while the boy still wore it. Roy leaned in close as he patted down each of the pockets until he found the one that jingled. Of course, it was on the side farthest from him, so he twisted awkwardly to avoid as much contact with Edward as possible as he reached in the coat pocket to retrieve his keys.

Ed's warm breath caressed the back of Roy's neck and he couldn't stop himself from shivering. He closed his eyes, momentarily enthralled by the sensation. Roy's hand inside his coat pocket squeezed his keychain tightly, even as his arm muscles contracted involuntarily to bring the wet blond closer. Ed grunted in surprise when his chest met Roy's. But it was the way Ed's lips accidentally brushed the back of Roy's neck that sent a thrill through the older alchemist. And Roy cursed the boy's continued spacey behavior for keeping those lips there, Ed's chattering teeth making it feel as though the boy was brushing the lightest of kisses over Roy's sensitive skin.

Roy pulled back quickly, fighting for control. He stared at his keychain in his hand, looking for his house key. But he couldn't stop his eyes from flicking up to the teen's face. Ed's cheeks were flushed and his eyes were no longer glassy, but the color of warm honey. There was still terrible pain and grief in those eyes, but there was also surprise, curiosity and embarrassment.

'Take him home, Roy. For god's sake, take him back to Al now!' his mind warned him. Still, his rebellious body continued to chart its own course, placing the key in the lock and opening his front door to let Edward inside. Roy guided Edward through the door and shut it behind them. He gently tugged his coat from the teen's grasp so he could hang it on one of the hooks on the wall. The blond's own coat was still dripping rain water on the floor of his entryway, so Roy circled the youth and slowly stripped the red coat off Ed. His gloved hands brushed the boy's neck and hands as he worked to remove the coat. The teen seemed to twitch at every touch and his downturned face flushed. Roy caught himself with his hand reaching out to remove the black jacket Ed wore over his black tank top. He longed to see more of the boy's flesh and automail. Roy pulled his hand back reluctantly. He took Ed's coat to his downstairs bathroom and hung it over the shower curtain rod, and then slipped out of his military jacket and draped it beside Ed's coat.

Roy caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. He looked hungry, dark eyes glinting with desire. He gripped the edges of the porcelain sink and frowned at himself. There was no way Roy could go back out there right now with this look on his face, especially with the recent feel of the boy's lips on his skin and the taste of Ed mixed with sweet honey so recently on his lips. Roy closed his eyes and licked his lips, listening to his own ragged breathing, hearing his racing heartbeat pounding in his chest and feeling the way that blood seemed to pool and throb in his loins. He opened his eyes and glared at his reflection, willing back his self-control.

Movement outside the bathroom door caught his eye and he saw the blond alchemist still standing in his entryway, arms wrapped tightly around himself, shivering violently. The look of misery on the boy's profile tore at Roy's heart and reminded him why he had pulled over to pick Ed up in the first place. The temporary surge of lust abated, drowned by a fierce tide of protectiveness. He pulled a towel from the rack and headed back out to the entryway.

The teen jumped in surprise when he felt the soft towel wrap around him from behind. Roy held it around the blond, his lips tickled lightly by a cold, wet braid of gold, until Ed's hands came up to hold the towel in place. Roy sighed as he released the towel and guided the blond by his automail arm into a leather chair next to the fireplace in Roy's living room.

At his direction, Roy's maid cleaned and prepared the fireplace so it was ready if he needed it. He glanced over to confirm it before bringing his gloved hand up to snap his fingers. Edward was still too out of it to notice, but Roy was chagrined to realize his excursion in the rain had thoroughly soaked both ignition gloves. He pulled them off and tossed them on a nearby table in disgust. Roy growled in aggravation as he resorted to the metal lighter from the fireplace mantel as his ignition source and touched his hand to the array carved into the brick of the fireplace. The fire roared to life with more enthusiasm than was really necessary.

Roy stalked over to his liquor cabinet and pulled out two glasses which he filled half full with the same golden liquor he had indulged in at the bar. He scooped the soft throw blanket off the back of his couch and draped it over the teen before forcing the glass of whiskey into the boy's flesh hand.

Ed's gaze moved from staring into the flickering flames in the fireplace to staring at the glass of amber-colored alcohol he held.

"Drink it," Roy ordered in a husky voice. He demonstrated his meaning by downing a gulp of his own drink. The raw burn seemed to warm him from the inside out.

Ed looked at the drink dubiously and made a face when he sniffed at it. But when he glanced up and saw Roy's challenging smirk, there was a familiar flash of answering challenge in those golden eyes. Edward took a gulp of his drink. Then he coughed and wheezed and spluttered. Roy's smirk widened as the boy glared back at him with the first real expression he'd had all night.

"I thought I told you to go home and rest, Fullmetal," Roy growled softly.

"I did," Ed hissed defensively, still trying to clear his throat.

Roy arched an eyebrow slightly and stared down at the teen without speaking.

"I couldn't sleep, okay?" Edward wouldn't look at him. He seemed to be fascinated by the weave of the blanket Roy had draped over him.

Roy was very familiar with that condition. He had spent many a sleepless night following Ishbal. But Ed had something Roy did not. "Why didn't you just talk to Alphonse about it?"

Edward's face flushed and he looked over at the flickering flames in the fireplace. "I can't."

Roy frowned. He had never known two people who were closer than Edward and Alphonse. Surely there wasn't anything that they couldn't talk about. He watched Ed reach up and rub at his automail arm with his flesh hand. "This isn't just about Nina is it?" he guessed.

Ed's eyes jumped to Roy's face in surprise. Then he looked away quickly, a guilty flush staining his cheeks.

"What were you doing out roaming around in the rain? Escaping your nightmares?"

The blond winced.

"Or contemplating another attempt at human transmutation?"

Edward covered his face with his automail hand.

Roy snatched the hand away angrily. He forced the boy's chin up to look him in the eye. Roy shook the automail limb in front of Ed's eyes. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet, you arrogant little brat? How many more limbs do you need to lose?"

Edward twisted his arm free and shoved Roy backward with surprising strength. And the fire was no longer reflected in those golden eyes, it resided within them, blazing back at Roy. "You don't even care! You didn't know her! She was just this sweet, lonely, little kid. Alexander and that sick bastard she called her father were the only things she had in this world." Ed's breath caught in his throat. He swallowed reflexively.

Roy guessed Ed was thinking about his own mother and Al. As much as it hurt him to push the figurative knife deeper, this was how he was used to handling Edward. With the release of the pain, Roy sought to draw out the anger and determination that had so often kept this young man alive when everything else was lost. "You're an alchemist, Fullmetal. It's what we do – research and conduct experiments."

The boy's drink fell from his hand as he jumped to his feet, closing the distance between them and grasping the front of Roy's white dress shirt. "Stop saying that! I'm nothing like him! He's a monster who used his knowledge to hurt others."

"And his knowledge and abilities were nothing compared to yours. What will you do with all that power, Edward? Throw it away to try to restore a little girl who's already lost her innocence?"

Edward ground his teeth, and a fierce snarl twisted his handsome face. His automail hand gripped Roy's shirt tighter, tearing the fabric.

"Does she really mean more to you than Alphonse?"

Ed gasped as if he'd been shot, golden eyes wide. His other hand came up to clutch at Roy's shirt, but now he seemed to need the contact to steady him. The color had drained from his face. He dropped his gaze to stare down at the tile floor.

"Why did you become a State Alchemist, Fullmetal? What is it you wanted to accomplish?" His voice was no longer harsh and challenging, but surprisingly gentle. Roy raised a hand to touch the crown of golden hair on top of the boy's wet head. "It's not the power that defines us, Edward, it's what we choose to do with it," he murmured quietly.

Roy felt the boy trembling as Ed's shoulders started shaking. He saw fresh drops of wetness splash the tile at his feet. This wasn't what he'd wanted. This wasn't angry, determined Ed. This boy pulled close to him, drawing on the warmth of his body and his strength for support and comfort. Roy was used to giving that support from a distance. So why did it feel so natural to wrap his arms around the teen?

Roy pulled the small, cold, trembling body close to his. He felt Edward bury his face in the fabric covering Roy's chest. He rested his chin on the top of Ed's golden mane. Roy's heart, which had so easily resisted the thawing effects of the alcohol, melted in response to this show of weakness from the boy he so often felt was forged entirely of metal. His arms tightened protectively around the boy.

They clung together for some time, until the boy's trembling ceased and his breathing evened out to a more normal pace. Ed didn't look up at Roy as he pulled away from the embrace. His eyes seemed fixed on the tear he had made in Roy's shirt. "S-sorry," he mumbled.

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Roy answered quietly. "Are you ready to go home?"

Ed nodded silently.

Roy found one of his coats that didn't drown the boy too much, bundled Ed's wet coat in a bag and found a warm dry coat to wear over his shirt as they ventured back outside to Roy's car.

"I can't stop thinking about Nina," Ed whispered as they drove down the road. His breath fogged the passenger window as he stared out into the night.

"You're not responsible for what happened to her."

"But I might have prevented it if I had gotten there sooner."

Roy's hands gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "I used to think the same thing about you and Alphonse."

The golden eyes flashed over to stare at Roy in surprise. "But we didn't even know you back then. You couldn't have known what we were planning. No one did. Not even Winry."

Roy shrugged. "I'm familiar enough with the arrays used in human transmutation. I could have guessed what you two were up to."

Edward nodded, and then sighed, looking back out the window. "I don't think you could have convinced me to change my mind. I just wanted her back and alchemy seemed like the only way. At the time, I thought there wasn't anything I wouldn't give to see her again. I was wrong."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Fullmetal. Just try not to repeat them."

"I won't give up. Not on Nina. Not on Al. I will make this right somehow."

Roy nodded and glanced over at the blond.

And for the first time that night, a faint smile of determination quirked up the corners of Edward's lips.


	4. Scar

**AN:** First off, thanks to all the readers out there. Response to chapter 3 was quite good. I'm going to continue to do review replies up front unless you tell me you hate it. Please skip ahead if you want to cut to the story.

TenshiShanai: I'm glad you like my spin on RoyxEd. Most of the intrigue is just in Roy's head at this point, but Arakawa has put in some lovely lines/situations that lend credence to my yaoi plotline. I hope this reaches you before you lose your internet connection. Have a safe drive and a wonderful time with your parents.

Luna-Lunak: Oh, I'm so glad I can bring sunshine and joy to your day, especially doing something that I enjoy so much!

Raingds: Here's your next serving! Enjoy!

Paon: Yayz for RoyxEd! They are my favorite, too. We've only got Roy's perspective so far, but this is definitely not one-sided.

Kitsune Tanaka: More is on the way! I have some time over the holidays here, so I hope to update a little more frequently for the next several weeks.

On with the show: This is the morning after my last chapter. Scar has paid a visit to Shou Tucker overnight to inflict a little divine wrath on another sinner while Roy was consoling Ed. The plot and many of the lines here are directly from Arakawa's work. I have woven my own interpretation of events as seen from Roy's perspective.

**Disclaimer:** Please credit Hiromu Arakawa for the creation of FMA.

* * *

Roy's first glimpse of the shattered corpses of his guards, Tucker and Nina had brought back unpleasant memories of the Civil War and the talents of a certain alchemist. But Crimson had rarely left his targets so intact. These corpses seemed like they had been injected with the venom of some enormous spider, so that they liquefied on the inside. A great deal of that liquid had burst out of them to coat the surrounding surfaces in a sticky, thick spray of death. While the end result was extremely unpleasant to look at, Roy had to assume death had been swift for them. The guards hadn't even fired off a single round before they died, yet there was only one set of bloody footprints leading away from Tucker's and Nina's corpses.

"We came to get Tucker alive…" Maes Hughes pointed out unnecessarily as he crouched next to the body hidden beneath a large white sheet. Hughes and Major Armstrong, both from the Investigations Department, had been sent immediately from Central to deal with taking Tucker in to custody.

Roy frowned in aggravation at Hughes' snide remarks. Trust Maes to find dark humor in this grim setting. Roy knew both Maes and Alex Louis Armstrong for many years. When he saw Hughes blanch at the sight of Tucker's remains hidden beneath the sheet, he knew it was more than just the grim state of the corpse.

"Scar."

Of course, Roy had heard of the alchemist killer. But he had no idea there were as many as ten deaths already. And he had certainly had never expected that whoever this man was that he was capable of killing someone like Brigadier General Grand. Grand was an imposing figure, the size of Armstrong but with a vicious temper and deadly alchemy skills. Roy had seen him in action during the Civil War. "He's a military martial arts expert," Roy exclaimed in disbelief, staring over at Hughes. Whoever this killer was, they were capable of taking out the best of the best. Roy's stomach churned in protest. There was a monster out here roaming the streets of his city, an unstoppable force capable of taking out anyone.

"Double the security staff and lay low for a while," Hughes voice was counseling Roy quietly. Roy could barely make out the words as his minds swirled with half formed plans for how he was going to defend the people of East City against Scar. Roy's expression darkened further. "With what happened to Tucker, you really can't let your guard down…"

And then it hit Roy and he felt like he'd been drenched in ice water. "Oh no." Fullmetal. Under normal circumstances, he knew the boy to be more than capable of defending himself. But these were far from normal circumstances and the sobbing blond he had held in his arms last night wasn't exactly at the peak of his game. He had dropped the teen at his rooms in the wee hours of the morning, so he prayed the boy was still tucked safely in bed. He turned to the nearest soldier. "You! Confirm whether the Elric brothers are still at their lodgings. On the double!" he barked, earning surprised looks from those around him.

Riza's response cut Roy to the quick. Edward had been by to see him at the office early this morning. What was he thinking? Fullmetal almost never came by the office without being ordered to file a report. Vulnerable, distracted Edward was out roaming the streets of East City where a vicious killer may already have him in his sights. Damn it!

"Bring the car around! All spare hands report to the Main Street area!!" Roy roared, already moving toward the front door. His gut clenched with fear. His heart raced and his body broke out in cold sweat as adrenaline poured into his bloodstream. He just knew that Fullmetal and Scar would somehow meet. He couldn't bear the thought that he may never see the boy alive again. He should have just kept the blond with him last night - to hell with military regulations on fraternization. He should have held on and never let him go. Roy's hands clenched and he ground his teeth in frustration.

"Call Eastern Headquarters and tell them to send all available troops out to search the streets for Major Elric. I want him to return to Headquarters immediately under guard. Make sure everyone knows about this Scar person," he ordered the guard at the front gate.

Roy was pleased to see Havoc behind the wheel of his car, the barrel of a rifle propped up next to him. Riza was right behind him as he threw open the door and slid across the seat. Riza climbed in after him. Roy leaned over her and rolled the window down next to Riza as he pointed to one of the soldiers coming down the walk from Tucker's house. "Bring some men and follow us in the next car. The rest of you spread out in a sweep formation. If you find Major Elric, take him to Headquarters immediately. If you encounter Scar, proceed with extreme caution. If you hear shots fired, converge on that location." He couldn't keep the edge of panic out of his voice and Riza shot him a frown when she heard it.

"What is it, sir?" She asked as Havoc pulled away from the house and gunned the engine.

Roy glanced over at her from where his eyes were sweeping the skyline of Central, looking for some sign of where Edward might be. He was alone in the car with the two people in his command that he had known the longest. They had seen him through some of his darkest days. Roy searched Riza's face, as he wondered what she would think if he told her the truth. He shook his head. "I'm just worried about those boys. You know what a danger magnet Fullmetal can be." He tried to keep his voice light in order to deflect her interest, and waved one of his hands dismissively.

"But if I heard Hughes correctly, aren't you putting yourself in harm's way? This Scar is after alchemists, sir. He would likely go after you just as readily as he would Major Elric - perhaps more so, given your position here at Eastern Headquarters." Riza's tone was a gentle rebuke.

Roy's eyes narrowed. She was right, of course. But he couldn't just leave this up to the others to handle. He had to see for himself that Ed was alright. "Understood, Lieutenant. That's why I'll be counting on you to watch my back."

The smallest of sighs escaped Hawkeye as she leaned back in her seat and contented herself with checking the condition of her weapons. Even Havoc gave him a strange look in the rearview mirror.

Roy worked to steady his voice and exude a smug confidence he didn't feel. "Capturing this serial killer would earn me a ticket back to Central and the personal notice of the Fuhrer."

Riza's sideways glance told him she wasn't buying it. She looked as if she wanted to say more, but then she merely shrugged and turned back to her guns.

Roy patted down his pocket to make sure he still had his ignition gloves. He went back to staring out the window, trying to puzzle out where Edward might have headed. "Head for the clock tower," he told Havoc. That should put them close to Headquarters and give them a well defined point to start their search.

They were just pulling in to the open area around the clock tower when Roy caught the characteristic lightning crackle of alchemy down on of the side streets. "There!" he shouted, pointing over Jean's shoulder. A large cloud of debris rose in the air around one of the alleys between buildings. Why the hell was Havoc slowing down? Roy almost climbed over the seat and took control of the car. Then he saw them, the tall imposing figure with the distinctive scar on his forehead standing over the golden haired alchemist who knelt on the ground in front of him.

Roy's hand was on the car door and opening it before the car fully stopped. He felt Riza's hand on his sleeve, trying to restrain him, but he shook her off.

"Sir!" she barked, thrusting something into his chest with her other hand.

Roy took the gun automatically, but his eyes never left the figure crouched in front of Scar. Ed was still alive! But mixed with the joy of finding the teen was the realization that he had suffered serious damage in the attack and was still very much at risk of losing his life. He could see parts of the boy's automail arm scattered about on the ground. The blond knelt in front of the killer, making no attempt to get away.

"No!" Roy heard Alphonse scream from back down the alley as Scar stretched his hand down toward the teen's head.

Ferocious rage tore through Roy. If he had been closer he would have leapt at the man with his bare hands. He felt the anger like an inferno inside him and he would gladly have burned the man to a crisp for what he had already done to Edward. There was no way he could get his gloves on in time. He pointed the gun Riza had given him skyward and pulled the trigger just to get their attention and signal the others to close in on their position. "That's enough!" Roy shouted over the echoing report of the gunshot and the sound of the rain still pouring down from the heavens.

Scar stepped back from Edward and eyed Roy and the other soldiers warily.

"That was pretty close, Fullmetal."

Ed seemed to have broken free from whatever spell he was under. His eyes reflected a desperate fear as he stared at Roy. "Colonel! He's –"

But Roy cut the boy off. He needed Edward to get angry, to be willing to fight back. He wanted Fullmetal to take all the pain he felt about what happened to Nina and direct it at this Scar. He also needed to buy time for more of his men to converge on this position. So he spoke with slow, deliberate words of accusation and he saw Edward's fear and resignation turn to disbelief and anger.

Scar responded with the complete conviction of a religious fanatic or a madman. He hadn't moved far enough away from Edward for the boy to escape, and when he caught a glimpse of the blond moving to get to his feet, Scar stepped back toward him and raised his hand again. "If you insist on stopping me, I'll just eliminate you, too," Scar warned Roy coldly.

Enough talk, Roy thought, his eyes narrowing in rage. He needed to draw the killer's full attention to him now. "Oh, you will, eh?" He tossed the gun over his shoulder to Hawkeye and pulled out his gloves.

"Colonel Mustang!" Riza exclaimed in disbelief. She must have thought he was crazy, but Roy was desperate to give Ed a chance to get away.

"Stay out of this," he growled. If Riza started shooting before Roy could draw the killer away from Fullmetal, the man might decide to finish Ed off before escaping.

Scar heard Riza and seemed to recognize Roy's name. Of course, Roy's exploits in the Civil War were widely publicized a few years back. Roy was counting on his notoriety to make him a more tempting target than a helpless blond teenager. He played up his own arrogant over-confidence even as the rain soaked through his ignition glove.

"You know that I'm the Flame Alchemist, but you still want to fight me? You're a fool!" Roy roared his challenge, fingers poised to snap.

Scar must have known enough about Roy's form of alchemy because he rushed at Roy as soon as he saw those fingers pressed together. The man came on with a blinding speed and any thoughts Roy had about dodging vanished even as he heard Riza start to call out a warning. Then Roy felt his feet kicked out from under him as Scar's hand wooshed past his face. Even as Roy landed on his rear, Riza's guns tracked the killer as she fired round after round at his retreating form.

"What was that for?" Roy griped, as more troops continued to assemble around them.

"You're useless on rainy days."

Roy's eyes tracked Edward's retreat to Havoc's side and hid the relief he felt in a fake show of depression over Riza's harsh words. His theatrics worked to keep Scar distracted and off-balance because the man didn't notice Armstrong come up behind him.

Of course, far be it for Alex to attack from the rear without some kind of warning. Must be an Armstrong family tradition to give your position away and sacrifice the advantage of surprise, Roy thought. Roy was on all fours, watching Armstrong combine his alchemy and amazing strength to keep Scar on the defensive. He glanced over at Fullmetal through the curtain of his black bangs. Apart from the missing automail arm, the boy seemed relatively unscathed. Roy's eyes drank in the sight.

Golden eyes glanced away from the fight and caught Roy staring at him. The teen frowned, looked as if he might speak, and then turned away with a blush coloring his cheeks.

Roy sighed and climbed slowly to his feet. Armstrong was using alchemy to turn the stone of the street into deadly projectiles that he hurled at Scar. And there went the Major's uniform jacket, flying off in the heat of battle and exposing Alex's vast expanse of muscled flesh. Roy rolled his eyes. Armstrong must pay extra to get a tailor to make a tear away version of their uniform. Wait, what did Armstrong just say? "A fellow…? Are you saying he's an alchemist, too?" Roy asked in surprise.

But how could this guy go off on a tear about how alchemists were such an offense to god and then turn around and use alchemy to kill them?

"I knew it," Ed exclaimed softly, standing next to Roy.

Deconstruction. Scar stopped at deconstruction, which is why Nina, Tucker and the guards all looked like they had been reduced to some primordial ooze. Roy glanced at Ed, his hand still covering the shattered remains of his automail shoulder. Roy's eyes swept passed the remains of Ed's arm scattered in the street and finally came to rest on Alphonse. Even at this distance Roy could see that Al was in pieces, his leg still lying in the alley and a large hole blasted in the side of his armor body. To think that Scar had come so close to deconstructing Ed. Roy shuddered.

Armstrong was working Scar back into a corner. Riza swapped her handgun for Havoc's rifle and knelt down in the street. Alex pulled his last punch and Riza fired off several rounds. Scar jerked, twisted and leapt away, his broken glasses flying off and a few drops of blood scattering across the rain-slick ground.

Roy gaped at the same time he heard Armstrong exclaim, "Red eyes! And his dark skin…He's an Ishvarlan…!"

Roy grimaced as memories of the war washed over him. Those red eyes seemed to reflect the fires Roy had used to burn down their cities and destroy their country. And suddenly he didn't blame Scar for his vendetta. Because if Roy had put himself on trial for the things he had done during the war, he would have found himself guilty and sentenced himself to death.

Fullmetal's gaze swept from Scar to Armstrong to Riza before settling on Roy. He could feel those golden eyes burning with questions, but Roy looked away. This was not the place for that conversation.

Scar's eyes swept the scene, taking in Riza with her rifle, the assembled troops encircling his position and Armstrong.

Roy watched Scar closely. He held up a hand. "Whoa there! Don't try to run for it. You're surrounded."

Before any of them could react, the alchemist killer raised his hand on high, electric blue energy crackling around his arm as he brought it down on the street pavement and disappeared into a huge hole in the ground.

* * *

After giving strict orders to the crews at the scene, Roy found himself in the back seat of his car with Fullmetal, heading back to Headquarters. Jean had assisted Al into the front seat beside him. It was important to get Ed and Al away from the scene as soon as possible before any more curious onlookers assembled. Edward's automail might not be that unusual, but a soul bound to a suit of armor would definitely raise eyebrows and draw lots of unwelcome attention.

"Your brother was right to be angry with you for offering yourself to Scar in exchange for Al's life, you know," Roy said quietly to the blond next to him. "And he's not the only one who wouldn't forgive you if you threw your life away."

Edward turned his head and gazed at Roy intently. His flesh hand slowly released the edge of Riza's borrowed coat and slid down to his lap. He rubbed at his thigh. "What are you saying, Colonel?"

Roy looked at the backs of Al's and Havoc's heads. The two were chatting away about the sewers of East City. Al seemed to have an endless thirst for knowledge and Havoc knew just enough to be dangerous. Although Roy was pretty sure he was making some of that stuff up. Alligators in the sewers? Roy's lips quirked in a faint smile. His eyes drifted back to the blond as his hand came to rest on the seat between them. "I won't allow you to die on my watch, Edward. The paperwork alone would kill me."

Ed's eyes flew open wide in surprise, then he laughed softly. "Don't worry, I won't die before you do, you old bastard. Colonel. Sir." Edward's hand slid off his thigh and came to rest lightly on the back of Roy's hand. "Thank you for saving my life today, Colonel," Ed whispered, barely audible.

Roy's fingers interlaced with Ed's. The teen blushed and looked away, but his hand squeezed Roy's before he pulled away.

"It was my pleasure, Fullmetal," Roy answered.

* * *

**AN:** Happy Holidays!


	5. Curiosity

**AN:** Review replies first:

Luna Lunak: Merry Christmas to you! That last chapter was pretty fluffy at the end. Hope the dentist didn't find any cavities XD

Paon: Sometimes the chapters will follow each other in succession (like this one) but only if that fits the canon (or what I can warp of the manga canon to fit my own nefarious purposes :p )

mrawgirl09: That was awfully fluffy. I'm still sweeping up feathers and stuffing!

MARYLOVER: I know a lot of people don't like the manga because they don't think it's RoyxEd enough, but I find lots of Yaoi material to work with =D *hugs for holidays*

fritz42: I'm so glad you've found the chapters to your liking! It's always fun to lure in a new reader.

Kitsune Tanaka: I actually have a secret crush on Scar. He is awesome and frightening. I hope I did him justice. Just be careful of the sweetness factor. Luna had to see her dentist!

And away we go. This interlude follows immediately on the heels of my last chapter, but before Roy briefs them on his involvement in the Ishvarlan Civil War and Armstrong gets to glomp poor Edo (I was totally jealous! Everyone should get to glomp Ed). We've only seen things from Roy's perspective so far. Just how does Ed feel about his Colonel and how far is he willing to go to prove it…

**Disclaimer:** Hiromu Arakawa is the creator, but like an alchemist I reconstruct her content for my own purposes…

* * *

Roy's onyx eyes gleamed. He bit his lip and shook his head slightly so the black bangs feathered down across his forehead just perfectly. And damn it if he wasn't the hottest thing Edward had ever seen in his life. Ed had never expected to see his Colonel looking at him like that. But the answer was still "No."

Roy pouted. How a grown man pulled that look off while still looking hot must be part of the Mustang mystique. "But I promise I'll be gentle," he purred in that sexy voice.

'Okay, sure, whatever you say,' a part of Edward shouted gleefully. And for maybe the first time in his life, Ed couldn't speak for fear those words might escape. So he just frowned and shook his head emphatically.

Roy slipped around behind him, maybe telling himself if he couldn't see Ed rejecting his proposal, then he wouldn't have to stop what he so obviously wanted to try.

Edward turned his head slightly, trying to keep Roy in view, but all he could see was an expanse of blue uniform across Roy's chest. "I wouldn't suggest sneaking up behind me. I might mistake you for an enemy and attack," Ed growled threateningly.

Roy snorted and the puff of warm air it generated caressed the back of Ed's neck, making the hairs stand on end. Edward shivered involuntarily. "And I wouldn't suggest attacking your superior officer," Roy replied. "The military frowns on that sort of thing."

Ed felt Roy's hands sweep lightly over his back, before one slipped under the towel. The rough fabric of the ignition glove scraped lightly across his skin. "Bastard, how would you like it if I threatened to stick something in you?" Ed snarled.

The Colonel laughed. And it wasn't just any laugh, either. It was low and soft and sexy. "If that's what it takes to get you to give in, I'm open to negotiations…"

"Fuck –!" Edward put his flesh hand over his mouth, not because he was embarrassed at his use of vulgarity (yeah, like that would ever happen!), but because he hadn't meant for that one word to sound so much like surrender.

"That sounded like a yes to me, Fullmetal," the Bastard gloated triumphantly, gloved hand beneath the towel sliding toward its target.

Ed sighed and leaned back against that warm chest. "At least take the damned glove off," he griped in resignation.

Roy's hand appeared in front of his face and Edward stared at it in confusion. "What –" he started to say, but Roy pressed the tip of his gloved index finger into Ed's mouth until the fabric was caught between his teeth.

"Bite down," Roy suggested softly. "Help me get it off."

Ed growled again, but contented himself with getting as much saliva as possible on the glove, hoping to ruin it. He tugged on one gloved fingertip after another until the whole glove slipped off and dangled from his lips.

Roy's other hand busied itself with sliding warmly across Ed's naked flesh arm. He squeezed Ed's bicep reassuringly. "See, I'll do whatever you ask as long as you cooperate." And the Colonel's other hand, free of its rough covering, slid back under the towel. It seemed to trace a path of fire along Ed's jangled nerves, swamping his senses.

Roy moved slowly, his finger tracing a gentle swirl around Ed's opening. "Can you feel that?"

Edward shook his head, Roy's glove still dangling from his teeth.

Roy frowned. He lowered his head and raised the towel so he could see what he was doing better. His finger pressed against the edge of the opening. "Anything?"

Edward shook his head again and shrugged, glancing back at Roy with a frown.

Roy cast the towel aside and turned Ed's body, bending over him so he could more closely examine his target. He pushed his finger inside.

"Sir, what are you doing to Edward's automail?" Riza demanded from the freshly opened doorway of Roy's office.

Roy and Ed both jumped out of their respective skins. They stared at Riza in alarm. Roy immediately released the boy but his finger seemed to be stuck in the empty port where Ed's automail arm had been before Scar disintegrated it. Ed spat out Roy's ignition glove on the floor and pushed the Colonel away from him as if he had cooties. Their connection stretched taut for a moment, with Roy's finger still inside Ed. But luckily for the Flame, Ed's liberal coating of saliva to his glove had lubed the finger enough that it finally popped free. The Colonel collapsed back in his office chair and Ed stormed out of the office ranting about something, anything.

Riza wasn't just Hawkeye by name. The sharpshooter's eyes missed very little indeed. This thing between the Colonel and Edward was escalating. She was going to have to keep a closer watch on these two.

**

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**

AN2:

I think I know where your minds were going before Riza showed up =p Shame on you! This is only rated T after all. Sorry for the pure crack, but I needed a break from the fluff! 


	6. deception

**AN:** So much for my assumption that I'd be a highly productive writer over the holidays. My honey got me the old FMA PS2 game "Curse of the Crimson Elixir" and I had to play it until I won. It has some awesome lines in it. Perhaps my favorite is Edward telling Roy "If your security was as tight as your ass, there wouldn't be a problem!" Naughty Edward!

Happy New Year, dear readers! I'm so pleased I can finally put up my 2009 FMA calendar.

Review replies:

**Kitsune Tanaka**: I'm the queen of pervs! Welcome to my kingdom =D

**Egypt****Mesi**: I'm glad you like them. The last one was naughty, but I promise to stick to the Teen rating. Nothing more than kissing, touching and innuendo. Anything more serious will be under the covers, so to speak…

**Luna-Lunak**: I can't explain Roy's strange compulsion to tinker with Ed's automail except to say that he wanted to see if Ed would let him. Perhaps he was only curious, who knows? My gosh, with all these lovely cookies, a diet will definitely be on my New Year's resolution list =D Thanks much!

**LazyLamia**: Roy really should be more cautious where he sticks his finger, especially around Ed. Of course, if Riza gets the wrong idea, he could find his finger getting shot off instead!

**HappyBunny6678**: Welcome! I'm glad you enjoy my bouts of nonsense chapters. Life is too serious sometimes.

**TenshiShanai**: Welcome back! I hope you had a lovely Christmas with family! I did have a wonderful Christmas with lots of time with the ones I love.

On to the chapter: It's been more than a month on the FMA manga timeline since the last chapter ( current source material is volume 9). Hughes was murdered, Lab 5 was discovered and destroyed, Ed needed Winry to repair his automail 3 times, and Mei and Ling have just joined the cast of characters. Riza captured 66 (aka Barry the Chopper) who spilled the beans on Lab 5 to Roy. Ed has arrived back in Central with Winry and Ling in tow, although they lost Ling at the train station. If you don't follow the manga, I'll warn you it is quite different from the anime in a number of spots.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Please credit Hiromu Arakawa for her brilliant work.

* * *

"Colonel…"

It was Edward's voice, pitched in that uncharacteristic soft, thoughtful tone. Roy frowned down at the papers on his desk before looking up at the teen who stood alone in the doorway of Roy's office. Ed must have left Winry and Al back at the hotel. The big golden eyes were vulnerable, searching. There was no sign of the earlier outward aggression he normally expressed toward Roy in public. Roy ground his teeth in aggravation. He didn't want this. He wasn't ready for this. There was already so much up in the air right now. This was an intricate balancing act Roy was trying to pull off. Couldn't Edward just accept what he'd told him earlier and be done with it?

Ed's eyes narrowed slightly at the look on Roy's face, but he leveled his shoulders as if settling some burden he was carrying and approached Roy's desk in the big office at Central HQ. The other desks were currently unoccupied. Riza was collecting additional information on Maria Ross, Breda was running an errand, Havoc and Fuery were getting into position, and Falman was currently standing guard over the animated armor called 66, the former Barry the Chopper. Ed looked away out the window over Roy's shoulder before his eyes drifted back to search the Colonel's face again. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

Roy winced. It was as if Ed was channeling Hughes and that particular loss was too fresh and too painful.

"You get the strangest look on your face every time I say Hughes' name. Did you guys have some sort of fight before he left?"

Roy looked away quickly, Ed's words cutting like a knife. Roy stared down at the papers on his desk, unseeing. He straightened them up before closing the folder on them. They were everything Riza had yet found on Maria Ross, Hughes' accused killer. And from what Roy had read so far, this whole thing stank of a setup. There had been no substantial leads announced in the case prior to her arrest. The military seemed to be offering Ross up as a scapegoat. "Hughes was my friend, Edward. We served together in the Civil War. I miss him…"

Roy hadn't said the words aloud to anyone else, not even Riza, though he knew she understood. He blinked back the tears that stung his eyes. He stood up abruptly, his chair banging off the wall behind his desk with the violence of his movement. Roy pressed his palms against the surface of his desk, continuing to stare down at the wooden surface as he fought to channel his pain into anger.

"He really was a great guy, despite the goofy daddy thing. You know, he even took Winry in to stay with them when she came to fix my automail. He treated her just like family. She got to go to Elicia's 3rd birthday party and everything…" Ed's voice was light, amused, as if he were trying to blunt the pain he heard in Roy's voice. Though Roy hadn't yet looked up at him, he could see the teen approach out of his peripheral vision. Ed stopped on the other side of Roy's desk. When he spoke again, the boy's voice was more subdued and serious. "I'm really sorry I never got to thank him for everything he did for me and Al when we were here last time. Look, I know you said he left the military to retire to the countryside, but if you know where he went, maybe you could give me an address. I wouldn't want to bug him or anything. Maybe just drop him a note or something…"

"Just drop it, Fullmetal. It's over. He's gone." Roy's tone was harsh and his words abrupt. He needed to end this conversation as soon as possible. He couldn't take much more of this. He did look at the blond this time, shooting the teen a piercing glare with his jet black eyes. He watched the boy process Roy's words and manner. He saw the vulnerability vanish behind a mask of anger.

"What is your problem, anyway?" Ed demanded angrily. "I don't get you, Colonel."

Roy straightened up and turned his back on Edward, looking out the window of his office. Dusk was settling in over the city, turning the clouds the color of blood. He held up his hands and studied them in the sanguine light. Hughes' blood already stained Roy's hands. Just the thought of losing another member of his team turned his stomach. But this boy, this shining golden thing behind him, was a loss he would avoid at all costs. He had lied about Hughes' death to Ed's face. After his conversation with Barry the Chopper, Roy knew the intrigue around lab 5 and Maes' death went deep into military command. He was risking far more than his career in pursuing his revenge against a killer. Roy was finally uncovering the rotten core within this country and it was far worse than he could have imagined. If Ed knew that Maes' died pursuing the mystery of lab 5, he would blame himself for getting Hughes involved. The teen already carried more than enough guilt without adding that to the mix. And Roy knew that with the guilt would come a call to action. Fullmetal would focus on finding Maes' killers with the same obsession he pursued the Philosopher's Stone. All the more reason to keep the boy safely ensconced at his hotel or the library. He was bound to hear more about Hughes after tonight.

"Look, Fullmetal. I have a lot of work to finish. Why don't you head off to the library to do some of that research you talked about…" Roy was pleased that he was able to steady his voice, make the tone dismissive.

Ed bristled at the tone. "I'm not a child. At least, you've never treated me like one before."

"No. You never seemed like a child to me before," Roy admitted quietly.

"So what happened? Why won't you talk to me?"

An automail fist banged Roy's desk in aggravation. Roy looked back at the blond, struck by the way the dying sunlight glinted off the molten gold eyes, turning them a coppery color. The boy's face was fixed in a snarl of frustration.

"There's nothing I'm privileged to discuss with you, Fullmetal."

"That's a crock of shit, Mustang. Why are you shutting me out?"

Behind the anger, Roy heard the pain. Ed must have been assuming that what had begun in East City between them could be nurtured and grow here in Central. And as much as Roy had wanted that, he didn't think he could let someone else inside. Not after what happened to Maes ripped his heart in two. He needed to push Ed away, rekindle the hostility. He needed to forget the way the boy's taste mixed with honey, or the way his body fitted so neatly against Roy's taller frame.

"I thought – well, it seemed like we'd reached some sort of… you know, understanding – or something." Edward struggled to find words for something he'd never known before, trying to frame their ill-defined relationship. "So many things don't make sense anymore, Colonel. What I thought I wanted seems to bring nothing but more pain. It's not clear who can be trusted or what their motives are…"

Ed came slowly around the desk, as if physical proximity could bring back the emotional closeness. He stood a few feet from Roy, his eyes probing for some hint that Roy hadn't forgotten holding him, comforting him, saving him back in East City. "Please. I know you. I – I trust you, Colonel."

Roy closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't think the teen would feel that way after tonight. "I need to get back to work, Fullmetal. You can call Hawkeye tomorrow and see if she can find an opening on my calendar later this week."

He felt the boy step nearer still, the warmth of Ed's body heat, the ghost of his breath across Roy's face. He could hear the nervous clanking of automail fingers flexing. Roy could smell him, almost taste him. Then the boy's flesh hand landed lightly across the back of Roy's hand where it rested on his desk.

Roy opened his eyes in surprise and stared down at the blond frowning up at him. They stood as if frozen, a portrait of desire and deception. Only Ed's slightly sweat-dampened hand moved, fingers playing lightly across the back of Roy's hand. The hairs stood up on Roy's hand and up the entire arm. His hand felt exquisitely sensitive to that touch. And Roy's mind craved more. Ed must have sensed the change in Roy's emotions, because the boy's breathing sped up and his pupils widened. The blond seemed to lean in closer and the gesture drove Roy to lean down over him. Roy felt as if he were falling into those inky depths concealed behind gold.

The phone on the desk rang loudly, shattering the tension in the air. Roy shook his head to clear it. He brushed the teen's hand away and turned his back to answer the phone.

"Mustang."

"You have a call from an outside line, Colonel. Warrant Officer Falman."

"Put him through," Roy told the operator.

Riza came through the doorway with another folder under her arm, but stopped when she saw Edward still standing behind Roy's desk.

Roy put a hand over the mouthpiece. "Oh, Lieutenant. I'm glad you're here. I'll take those files. See if you can find Fullmetal an hour on my calendar for next week. He wants to talk shop." Roy glanced over his shoulder at the blond. "This is a confidential matter, Fullmetal. You're dismissed."

Roy heard Falman start to speak into the phone, but his eyes watched Ed follow Riza out of the room. The boy glanced back at him just before his office door shut. The look of hurt and betrayal cut Roy to the quick.

**

* * *

**

**AN2:**

Lost in translation… Sometimes things get messed up from one volume of FMA to the next depending on translators. Early on the people of Ishbal were called Ishvarlans. Ed's pocket watch has gone from gold to silver to gold again. And Ling is often referred to as Lin. Argh! Please bear with me as I try to use whatever wording is current for the volume of the manga I am using as source material. 


	7. Betrayal

**AN:** Christmas break is officially over for me as school and work came crashing back in starting Monday. With the way the US economy is going, I'm grateful to have a job. I'll try to update regularly.

Review replies:

**Egypt Mesi** : The manga really is a wonderful read and I really got interested in it when I heard they were releasing the new anime in Japan this April. I've had very mixed feelings about that since I really do love the first series. The original anime is probably more RoyxEd slanted than the manga. A lot of people tell me they don't want to read the manga because it has heavy Royai, EdWin overtones, but I haven't run into anything yet that definitively says they are couples. I prefer to think of Winry as Ed's sister substitute and Riza to be Roy's best friend (now that Hughes is gone). I do think the girls both have crushes on the boys, but too bad for them, because Ed and Roy really belong together…

**UnbornHope**: What I love about this arc is that you truly begin to appreciate what a manipulative bastard Roy really is… but you also get to see him more as a person with deep care and concern for the members of his team, and real human frailty. I just re-read the scene with him and Havoc facing Lust (eep! If you know what I mean). Havoc in his special forces gear is positively scrumptious and gives me an itch to write some RoyxHavoc =d

**TenshiShanai**: XD Translators. I mean, don't get me wrong, Japanese writing is one of the most difficult languages to learn and I salute anyone who can, but come on Viz Media. At least have your editors check for consistency from volume to volume. Dublith has been written as Dubliss throughout Volume 10. My sincere appreciation for those dedicated folks at the various fan scan sites who are kind enough to translate and share the current chapters of FMA with the world. You people are awesome! BTW, thanks for the reminder to check the artbooks for things like the watch color. I own both, but now I can do more with them than simply drool over Roy and Ed ;D

**Paon**: I'll try to include enough detail either in what I write in the AN or what's in the chapters to flesh out the differences between anime and manga, since I know many readers are only familiar with the anime. Those differences get more pronounced the further you go. This is a very angsty arc of the story and things haven't gotten any better for Ed since the last chapter =(

On to the chapter: This is the second in a series of three chapters surrounding the death of Maria Ross (volume 9 of the manga). Sometimes I lift dialogue/scenes directly from the manga and spin it RoyxEd for my own amusement. Mostly I try to play head games with the boys. Our POV will be Ed's for this chapter and the next.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Please credit Hiromu Arakawa for her brilliant work.

* * *

"Dammit!" Ed hissed as he banged his automail fist hard enough on the dining room table in the crowded restaurant at the military run hotel to make the plates and silverware jump.

"Is there a problem, sir?" the concerned waiter asked, appearing at his side as if by magic.

Edward glanced up at him in confusion, looked around to see the other customers staring at him, and heaved a sigh. "No, nothing. I just – I had a bad day." And that was probably the understatement of the year.

"Is there something wrong with your food?" the waiter continued, gesturing to the untouched food on Ed's plate.

"No. It's great." And Ed took a big bite to show the waiter that he liked it. He smiled and gave a thumb's up gesture despite the fact that his stomach roiled in protest. The food felt like tasteless mush in his mouth. He didn't think he could even swallow it passed the lump in his throat. His body didn't help him out by producing any saliva to ease it down. So he just kept chewing as the waiter walked away, then took a big gulp of water to wash it down. He stuck his fork in his mouth so it would at least look like he was eating.

His stomach churned in protest and threatened to reject the unwelcome food. Ed couldn't seem to get the smell of charred flesh out of his nose, no matter how much he had bathed and washed his clothes. How had the Colonel ever survived living with this on a daily basis in Ishbal?

Thoughts of the Colonel brought a wash of conflicting emotions and images. Ed felt hurt, angry and betrayed. He wanted to wipe that smug look off the Colonel's face with his automail fist. He would have too, if Al hadn't stopped him. Edward's flesh hand brushed lightly over the bruise on his cheek from where the Colonel had punched him. "Fucker," Ed grumbled, pitching his voice at a low rumble of anger to avoid an audience from the waiters or other restaurant patrons. How dare the bastard hit him? It was a perfectly reasonable question. Why hadn't the Colonel told him about Hughes?! It just didn't make any sense.

Ed closed his eyes, but behind his lids his mind replayed the events from last night. Barry the Chopper in his soul-attached armor fending them off with his meat cleaver while Maria Ross escaped down the alleyway. The flash of explosive flames he had only ever seen when the Colonel was showing off his talent. Darting around Barry and running down that alley, not really knowing what to expect, but feeling the cold rush of adrenaline. Then the Colonel, silhouetted by the dim glow of the street lamps, standing triumphantly over the charred and smoldering body of Lt. Ross. Edward remembered so clearly when Ross yelled at him after the incident in Lab 5 about not always trying to do things without help. 'You should trust adults a little more.' The irony of her words didn't escape him. He had trusted that bastard Mustang and look what happened.

He squirmed in his chair as his hand slipped up from his bruised cheek to his forehead. It had only been just a few short hours before those awful moments of discovery in that alley when he had stood in front of the Colonel in his office at Central. 'Please. I know you. I – I trust you, Colonel.' He couldn't believe he had actually said those words to Mustang. He was such an idiot! Mustang blew him off so he could begin his personal hunt for revenge against his best friend's killer. Clearly Ed didn't know Mustang at all and had very little reason to trust him. He had let those other feelings get in the way.

What was it that dulled his thought processes and sharpened his senses when he was alone with the Colonel? It made his pulse race, his breathing become erratic and caused heat to pool in unexpected parts of his anatomy. Ed wanted to express himself when he was alone with Roy, but with touch instead of words because the words were all muddled up inside his head. He didn't think he should be feeling this way, especially about that man. It made him angry whenever he saw Mustang in public. As if the whole world saw the unnatural desire in Ed's eyes, the flush of his skin, and the wicked thoughts that surfaced at the most unexpected of times. The very idea that the Colonel might have shared those feelings seemed so improbable to him now. A wave of sadness washed over him and his head dropped down on the table. He stared sightlessly across the restaurant, his vision turned inward.

Mustang didn't care about Ed or his feelings. He had been out to avenge Hughes' murder. Ed had stopped at Hughes' grave on the way back from Gracia's house when he and Al went to retrieve Winry. The sight of Hughes' name carved in cold white marble and the sound of Winry's soft sobs as she stood beside him had almost been Ed's undoing. Somehow he and Al had gotten through telling Gracia and Winry what happened concerning lab 5. At the end, he hadn't even been able to raise his eyes and look at Gracia. He could hear those two pathetic words 'I'm sorry' echoing hollowly in the tension filled air. Then Gracia had smiled that sad little smile and had not only forgiven them, but admonished them not to give up and waste the sacrifice Hughes had made. Gracia had looked so strong, her face fixed with grim determination. Too bad Ed's last glimpse of her was in sharp contrast to that projected image. Gracia had stood in the upstairs window of her home watching them leave through the front gate, clutching Elicia to her and weeping behind her hand.

If it wasn't for Ed, Maes would never have stuck his nose into these matters and been murdered for it. Ed was to blame for Hughes' death. He couldn't really blame the Colonel for wanting to punish the killer. Edward just never thought it would be the sweet faced, honest, caring person he had known Maria Ross to be. It just couldn't be her! But the Colonel had destroyed any chance that they would uncover the truth from her. 'He burned this beautiful girl until she was just a pile of ash,' Dr. Knox had said. Ed's stomach cramped up in protest again and a fresh wave of nausea washed over him. The Colonel wasn't the root cause of Ross' death. That landed squarely on Ed having lead Hughes into this whole mess in the first place. Ed let the fork drop from his lips as he took shallow panting breaths to fight off the urge to vomit.

The waiter was back. He must have seen the green tinge to Ed's complexion. He was speaking, but Ed's mind was still so dazed that it didn't really process what it was hearing. He needed to escape this mental trap. He felt like he was swirling down into a black pit. He couldn't even talk to Al about it right now, because his kind-hearted little brother just reflected Ed's guilt back at him. Al wouldn't let him shoulder this burden of guilt alone either, and knowing that he was responsible for saddling his little brother with this new burden simply added to Ed's guilt. He needed to focus on something else. Anything. He rose from the table halfway through the waiter's latest question and dragged himself up the stairs to talk to Winry.

* * *

The sun was high in the skies over Central, but Ed hadn't moved from his bed in their hotel room. Winry and Al were busy getting Al's armor polished to a high gloss. Ed just couldn't find the energy to care about anything. There was an aching emptiness inside him that sucked the joy out of everything around him. He closed his eyes and contemplated sleep, but was too afraid of falling back into the nightmares. His mind had created a macabre parade for him throughout the night.

It started with the dream about his mother going from the sweet gentle person he had known to the bleeding, dying thing he had made. "Why couldn't you fix me, Edward?" In his dream he had struggled to escape, but he was missing his arm and leg, so he pushed himself along the floor with his remaining leg, leaving a wide slick of fresh, bright, arterial blood in his wake. But then warm, strong arms reached out to enfold him. The Colonel lifted him off the floor and pulled him into a tight embrace. Ed looked up into those midnight eyes and saw his salvation. He reached up to wrap his arm around Roy's neck and suddenly found his automail was back. So he wrapped flesh and automail arms around the Colonel's neck and pulled him down. Those gently smirking lips were soft and pliable. Their touch against Ed's own lips sent fire through his veins. But his dream seemed intent on reminding him that there was no such thing as a happy ending. Roy's hand, wrapped in Ed's hair, suddenly yanked back hard on Ed's braid. Ed looked up into the Colonel's face, but instead of the love he thought he'd seen earlier, the Colonel was glaring at him in disgust and anger. He threw Ed down on the ground. "Don't touch me. I hate you. It's your fault Maes had to die!" Roy pointed to a marble headstone that suddenly appeared beside Ed. In his dream, Edward looked up to confirm the name on the gravestone and saw Gracia standing behind it, holding Elicia in her arms, and weeping. The damp, disturbed earth beneath Ed's body seemed to turn to quicksand, sucking him slowly down into it. Ed tried to reach for Roy to help pull him out, but the Colonel turned his back and walked away. Edward flipped over on his stomach, trying not to struggle, trying to float. But his automail weighed him down too much to float and he was sinking rapidly. Ed flailed his flesh arm above the quicksand surface of Maes' grave. A hand caught his and pulled him toward it. Edward looked up into Maria Ross' smiling face. He felt an intense surge of relief and joy that there had been some terrible mistake and she was really alive. Then he heard the snap, saw the roar of flames, smelled the charred flesh, and saw Ross reduced to charcoal before his very eyes. To his horror, the hand he had held broke off the body and crumbled in his frantic grip. The last thing he remembered before waking in a cold sweat was the Colonel standing over him watching him sink into the grave.

"So, what are you gonna do now?" Ed opened his eyes when he realized that Winry was talking to him instead of Al. His back was to her, so she couldn't see him grimace. He sighed. It was so hard to even make the effort to think and plan. Every time he tried to make things better, they just got fucked up anyway, so what was the point?

"What should I do?" he asked in reply, staring at his automail. How many lives was he planning on exchanging to get his real body back? He rolled over to look at Winry. He watched her as she thought through her response. More than her words, he examined her face. She looked so young and innocent. How could they even be the same age? Ed felt like he was a thousand years old. He lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Al and Winry were talking again, but it was background noise to him. He was so cold inside, as if his internal fires had gone out. He felt like the stone face of a mountain, worn down by the inexorable process of erosion. He wondered when he would succumb to gravity and crumble. He wondered if anyone would really care. They might all be better off without him.

There was a loud knock at the hotel room door. Ed stared over at it for a moment, as if wondering what to do. He was half afraid to open it and find out who was there. Eventually he dragged himself over to the door, convincing himself it was likely one of the hotel staff. He turned the knob and started his greeting without really registering who was on the other side of the door. But then he looked up and up and up into the face of Alex Armstrong whose massive fist came across and knocked Ed halfway down the hotel corridor. Ed's fighting instincts kicked in.

"What the hell did you do that for, Major!?!" he roared as the gigantic figure stomped down the hall towards him.

Armstrong lifted him bodily off the floor and examined his damaged automail arm with a look of satisfaction. He was saying something about taking Ed to Resembool to get it fixed. "Huh?" Ed exclaimed, looking from Armstrong to Al to Winry. Ed tried to point out that Winry was here and could fix it, but Armstrong didn't seem to hear him. Then the Major made some obscure comment to Al about not being able to go with them because he stood out too much. Al stood out too much?! What about Armstrong and the whole 7 foot tall mountain of muscle with the shirt off and the pink sparkles crap? Hello, Pot, Mr. Kettle is calling…

Then Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, found himself being dragged by the collar of his black jacket down the hotel corridor by the Strongarm Alchemist, apparently on their way to the train station. "Help me…" he pleaded to the retreating figures of Al and Winry.

"Uh…" was all he heard Al say before the elevator doors closed.


	8. Revelations

**AN:** Yeah for 3-day weekends! The inspiration for this chapter can be found in volume 10 of the manga. And although I haven't specified it yet, WARNING: this and all other chapters contain extensive spoilers for the FMA manga. If you haven't had a chance to read them, I have to say that this particular volume (10) contains an awesome series of panels regarding the battle between Lust and Roy. WOW!

Review replies: I never asked if you guys mind that I do these here, rather than use the email system. If you hate it let me know.

Kitsune Tanaka: IMO Manga!Roy is even more of a schemer than Anime!Roy, so you can trust that Roy has a hand in Ed's abduction.

Alkhemyst: I love the Armstrong character! Pink sparkles for all =D

GoldenKitsuneHime13: So hopefully you saw the warning above about spoilers because almost every chapter of these one-shots will reveal more of what happens in the manga. I'm glad you like the way I twist the story for my own pervy purposes. I just refuse to see EdWin and Royai, except as one-sided crushes from the women.

Egypt Mesi: A lot of people don't like Roy very much during this Maria Ross part. It's really messing with poor Ed's head. This chapter should help clarify things, I hope.

TenshiShanai: Armstrong is the only character capable of intimidating the hell out of Ed and he does it with ripped muscles and pink sparkles =S There's a reason he always ranks in the top 10 of the FMA character polls! He's hilarious!

nendo-chan: I see you enjoyed Roy's little romp with Ed's automail in chapter 5. More suggestiveness to come next chapter… -.0

**Disclaimer:** Hiromu Arakawa is the creator of FMA, but like an alchemist I reconstruct her content for my own illicit purposes…

* * *

Hot. The sun was blazing down on him from above, heating the cloak he wore for protection with the same intensity as a bonfire. The sand beneath them radiated heat back like a perfect mirror, rising in waves like an inland ocean in the distance, tantalizing him with the false promise of water. Even the body of the horse he was sitting on seemed to add to his torment. And all of that heat, every last degree of temperature from every source, seemed to be drawn in and concentrated by his automail arm and leg. He could swear that his sweat sizzled when it ran down off his body onto the superheated metal. The flesh of his body that contacted the automail felt raw and hyper-responsive, his nerves screaming at his brain that there was something desperately wrong. He was burning alive. How ironic that he had the Flame Alchemist to "thank" for this experience.

Because the Bastard Colonel was many miles away in Central, Ed decided to visit his resentment on the nearest symbol of Mustang's power, Heymans Breda. The man had met Ed and Armstrong at a remote location outside of Resembool as soon as they got into town. Breda then introduced them to Mr. Han, their guide in this insane desert crossing. He glared at Breda's back with enough intensity to set him ablaze, but the Lieutenant was either ignoring him or completely oblivious. Either way, it wasn't helping Ed to vent his frustration. And grousing to Armstrong only made the big man look back at him with those big, dewy eyes full of sympathy. Ed couldn't risk drawing the big man's attention too much or he'd find himself drawn into a bone crushing embrace of pink, sparkling sympathy that would only add to his overall discomfort.

Ed closed his eyes and felt his mind drift. He'd been unable to sleep much lately, unwilling to subject himself to the vivid nightmares of Ross' charred body, Hughes' murder, and the Colonel's betrayal that haunted his sleep. He knew he was pushing his body to exhaustion when the dreams abandoned waiting for him to fall asleep normally and, instead, visited him any time he closed his eyes for more than a moment. And like so many other times of late, they ambushed him again once his eyelids blocked out the light, dragging him down into darkness.

_Ed was on his knees before the Gate, in that other realm where the Truth resided."Why? Why did you bring me here? What do you want from me?" Ed shouted. But the blazing light surrounding him swallowed his angry, painful exclamation and left him in a silence so intense his own breathing sounded like a windstorm and his heartbeat pounded through him like a drum._

"_One might ask what it is you want from me, Fullmetal?"_

_Ed gasped. Since when did the Truth borrow the Colonel's voice to speak? Ed's head swiveled around, but there was no form to accompany the words._

"_I want the truth, damn it! Why didn't you tell me about Hughes? Why did you kill Lieutenant Ross?"_

"_Hmmm." The sound swirled around him, taunting. It was closer than before as if it were spiraling in toward him, but still there was no sign of the creature itself. "Are you sure that's all you want from me, Ed?"_

_Ed jumped when the words seemed to be purred into his ear. He turned swiftly, but still could not see a physical form to accompany the taunting words._

"_Fuck off!" Ed snarled. He swung his automail fist around in the air, hoping to make contact, but it plowed effortlessly through the still air and the momentum of the swing pulled at him so he was off-balance and falling._

Ed felt a familiar large hand grab his left arm and push against him.

"Be careful, Edward Elric!" Armstrong exclaimed, holding him upright in his saddle as Ed struggled to banish sleep and regain his balance. "You almost fell off your horse."

Ed blinked owlishly at the Major for a moment before he shook off the dream. He straightened in the saddle, brushing off Armstrong's supporting hand. He used the sleeve of his robe to wipe sweat off his forehead and took a sip of water from his almost-drained canteen to try to replenish his body fluids. As aggravated as he was by being kidnapped and hauled out here into the desert with no explanation, he had to confess to a certain thrill for the adventure. There was nothing like the rush of adrenaline and anger to dissipate the black depression he had been in earlier, back at Central.

Edward looked over at Breda again where he rode his horse next to Mr. Han. Their guide obviously had extensive experience crossing through this desert region beyond the eastern border of Amestris, probably ferrying illegals over the border in both directions. What possible reason could Breda have to be involved in all this? He was one of the Colonel's valuable pawns, so this whole kidnapping, illegal border crossing intrigue thing was being orchestrated by none other than the Colonel, himself. But why? What the hell was going on? Nobody was telling him anything, and Breda was not above clobbering him if he got too noisy about being kept in the dark. They hadn't even given him a chance to visit Granny Pinako to get his automail fixed even though they were right there in Resembool…

Mr. Han pulled his horse to a halt and handed a spyglass to Breda, gesturing toward a point on the horizon. Ed squinted into the heat haze and desert glare, but couldn't distinguish anything real from the wavy contours of the mirage. He pulled his horse up next to their guide and held out his hand for the spyglass when Breda was done.

A small thrill danced through Ed when the ruined city appeared in the magnified view. "So those are the Cselkcess Ruins," he murmured. This was the former capital city of a great and powerful nation, supposedly wiped from the map in a single day. This was also the legendary birthplace of alchemy. Something tickled at the back of Ed's mind. Some gate-born memory that was just beyond his grasp, like the name you couldn't quite give to a familiar face. The more Ed pursued the memory, the more ephemeral it became, slipping through his hands like smoke.

He handed the spyglass back to their guide. The sight of their destination buoyed his spirits and gave him strength to endure the heat. He still didn't know why the Colonel wanted him here, but Ed had no intention of passing up the opportunity to explore those ruins. There could be some valuable clue for getting Al's body back buried for centuries beneath the sand.

The feeling of déjà vu became stronger the closer they got to the ruins. It felt like the city had been waiting for Ed. Like it was welcoming him back, somehow. There was definitely something here, beyond the machinations of the Colonel. Ed's eyes drank in the sights around him, trying to find it, the indefinable something that called to him. He was so busy looking around pillars and over the remains of walls that he didn't immediately notice the figure ahead of them, perched on a small mound of debris.

"Mr. Foo?" Ed gasped with a frown. The thought that the crazy Xingian Lin was somehow embroiled in all this was too much for Ed. But why else would one of Lin's body guards be waiting for them here?

"Why did you bring the child?" Foo asked, glancing at Ed in surprise.

"THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU! " Ed ranted, literally blowing off steam that had been boiling away inside him for hours. "I WANNA KNOW WHY THIS PSYCHO-GEEZER IS HERE AND WHY YOU DRAGGED ME ACROSS THIS GODFORSAKEN DESERT BUT MOST OF ALL I WANT A GLASS OF WATER!!" He coughed and wheezed as his mouth dried out completely.

Mr. Foo took pity on him and led the group beyond the mound to a clearing where tents had been set up around a large round pool of water. A natural spring provided fresh water for horses and people alike. One look at the pool and Ed's clothes went flying. He landed on a rock shelf inside the pool and sunk in up to his eyeballs. The scalding automail hissed in protest when it came in contact with the water, but thankfully surrendered its heat to the water rapidly. He could hear the others speaking from the shade of the tent, but at the moment, he couldn't care less. His eyes drifted closed again.

"_Welcome back," the Truth greeted him, no longer borrowing the Colonel's voice. This new voice was familiar, though. A voice he hadn't heard in many years._

_Even in his dream, Ed closed his eyes against the flat plane of whiteness and the imposing image of the Gate. "Go away."_

"_I already did. I thought you wanted me to come back."_

_Ed's eyes snapped open and he stared at a tall man standing over him. Long blond hair was pulled back in a tail, and small oval glasses framed golden eyes so like his own. Hohenheim? "What the hell are you doing here?"_

_The image of his father held out his hands in a helpless shrug. "I thought you knew. I lived here."_

Everything seemed to swirl around him and Ed blinked in panic when he saw that he had drifted below the surface of the water during his doze. He burst out of the water, spluttering and coughing, startling the horses and men around him. Mr. Foo stepped over to the side of the pool with a towel in his hands. He offered it to Edward. "You are an alchemist, yes? What do you know of the Cselkcess nation?"

Ed frowned and thought back to the days when he and Al poured through alchemy books in search of a way to bring their mother back. At the time, the very thought that an entire nation could disappear overnight had seemed like a myth, a child's story. But then, so had chimeras and homunculi…

So Ed told Foo and the others about the Philosopher from the Eastern Desert, supposedly a survivor of the destruction of this nation, who came to Amestris and taught them alchemy.

Mr. Foo nodded. "I've heard this story before but in my country he's called the Philosopher from the West…"

Xing had a long tradition of alchemy before the Philosopher came, but it was mostly illusion. Once he arrived to share his knowledge with them, it was combined with their ancient techniques into the medical alchemy of Xing, Rendanshu.

Ed had dressed as they spoke, and then followed Foo and the others deeper into the ruined city. They were near the very center of the ruined town, passing into the shade of a large temple, lit by the afternoon rays of sunlight slanting in through the broken dome of the ceiling.

Armstrong voiced the very thoughts swirling through Ed's mind. "How could a civilization this advanced be destroyed in one night?"

Ed's eyes took in the runes inscribed on the pillars and beneath the large mosaics. Men and women of noble birth were portrayed engaged in ancient ceremonies whose real purpose was lost in time. And woven throughout the tableau were alchemical symbols, as if alchemy was a part of their language and their way of life. Ed's gaze followed the figures as if they were parading toward a destination, bringing tribute and honor to the thing that lay ahead. He moved through an archway and the giant transmutation circle rose before him, etched into the stone of the broken dome that rose above their heads. Ed felt compelled forward by an overwhelming urge to understand the complex and marvelous diagram. The Gate – why did this remind him of the Gate and that day they tried to bring their mother back?

"Where are you going? It's this way!" Foo called from a side passage that branched off behind Ed. The others had already disappeared within.

Only when Ed drew breath to reply did he realize he'd stopped breathing while staring at the circle. "Uh… Okay," was the only response he could muster, his mind still wrapped around the image above him. He didn't want to leave, but he felt that they might finally reveal why they'd dragged him here now that all the players seemed to be assembled.

As he hurried to catch up, he overheard Armstrong say something about a woman. "A woman?" Ed murmured in surprise. No freaking way did that pig Mustang send them all this way for some skanky woman he wanted Armstrong to hook up with! Ed could hear the Colonel's words spoken softly to Armstrong as the big man was bent over weeping about the death of Maria Ross. 'The place where I was stationed in the East was really nice. It's away from all the noise of the city, and more importantly, the women are gorgeous.'

Ed stumbled through the doorway behind Foo, prepared to give everyone a piece of his mind. The slight figure covered by the same tan robes they wore rose from her seat on a broken stone bench and turned to regard them all with twinkling blue eyes. Ed's mind stopped working. The breath he had drawn in for his rant escaped in a loud "Ah…"

Maria Ross looked over at them all expectantly, a faint smile on her open, beautiful face.

All the scattered pieces fell into place. The Colonel's need to get Ed out of the office and finish what he'd been working on that night. His appearance in some random back alley that just happened to be where Ross was escaping. The fact that the body had been burned to an unrecognizable pile of ash when Ed knew Roy had only recently displayed his amazing control over fire when he torched the rebel Bald to a medium rare. All pieces to a puzzle Ed had been too shocked and upset to look at too closely. Ed's hand brushed the cheek the Colonel had punched that night, the blow delivering just enough force to rattle him without causing serious damage, knowing that Ed would respond with anger in kind to any sort of attack. Ed had been played just like everyone else by the master manipulator. "That damn Colonel!"

Ed watched in stunned silence as Armstrong's shirt was cast aside and tears were literally gushing from his eyes as he chased Lt. Ross around, seeking to embrace her. Ed's mind was buoyed by an intense relief and something else. A surge of strong emotion he used to only associate with Al and his mom. He was having trouble breathing and his heart was racing. Audience or not, if Mustang was here right now, Ed would be all over him. He just couldn't decide if he would punch him out or kiss him.

Breda was speaking softly, giving them the details of the Colonel's elaborate plan. How they had made a public show of arresting her, making sure the notice reached the papers so that Military Command couldn't just make her disappear quietly. Then the call from Falman to Mustang where Barry had taken over. The Colonel had given Barry the codename Bunny and arranged to call him back from a public phone.

"Bunny," Ed snorted, thinking back to all the other times he'd been around Roy when he was supposedly taking calls from his girlfriends. He knew the Colonel's little black book was also a cover for his personal alchemy journal. Now that he knew how elaborately the Colonel schemed, he didn't know what to believe about the man's womanizer reputation.

Barry didn't judge Ross to be a killer and could corroborate her use of her gun the night at Lab 5. Roy knew it didn't matter as far as military command was concerned. They'd found their scapegoat for Hughes' murder and they intended to follow through. So Roy and Barry had concocted a plan that would get Ross out of prison and away from Central. Breda had gotten the components to make a fake body and Riza had supplied Roy with dental records to fake her teeth. Once Barry sprang Lin from his cell, he agreed to help them get Ross out of the country in exchange for information about how Barry was made. The rest was a simple matter of Roy swapping the real Ross for the fake body so that Havoc could get her to Foo.

Ed swiped at his bangs as he listened to the story, amazed at how close he had come to ruining everything for them. He shook his head and leaned back with his eyes closed, bracing himself on the stone bench where he sat next to Armstrong. He really didn't know Colonel Roy Mustang at all. Sure, he'd heard the whole Hero of Ishbal thing, but he always assumed that came simply because his control of fire alchemy let him burn big swaths through the enemy ranks and destroy villages at will. He'd never considered how skilled the man might be at other forms of alchemy, how intelligent he would have to be to fake out military command under their very noses, or how adept he was at hiding his true feelings even from someone like Ed who'd spent many hours secretly watching the man. But instead of changing his mind about his feelings for the Colonel, Ed felt more drawn to him than ever. When he got back to Central, he would need to find a way to meet privately with his favorite onyx-eyed enigma. And maybe he'd find the opportunity to get close enough to finally decide whether it was a punch or a kiss the Colonel deserved, after all.

* * *

**AN2**: And so ends this 3-chapter arc. The next arc will be back in Central and viewed from Roy's perspective. Thanks for reading!


	9. Truth

**AN:** The boys are back together in Central, but the journey to this point has been very difficult for both of them. Ed had some terrible truths to confront, even as Roy fought to save his life and the lives of those he cares about. Inspired by Volume 11 of the manga.

Review replies: You all say such wonderfully inspiring things, that I can't help but get addicted to writing more =D Thank you very much! No one seems to hate them here, so away we go…

GoldenKitsuneHime13: Roy is such a conniving devil, but that's a big part of his appeal. He and Ed are overdue for a heart-to-heart…

UnbornHope: I vote *kiss*, too, but punch just seems more Ed's style =D Lots of angst in this chapter, but we're all overdue for some of that romance.

Luna-Lunak: A series of one-shots doesn't seem to quite describe my approach with this story, but it's not a full repeat of the manga, either. I like the idea that each time we see them, the boys' relationship has grown and changed as they have evolved according to the manga storyline. I'll try to fluff things up from time to time, I promise. Yayz, cookies!

Fritz42: Ed's brilliant mind would hardly rest, IMO, so I like the idea that he's always turning things over in his head. Certainly Arakawa shows him thinking and dreaming about things quite a bit, so I hope it feels in character. And since I'm a perv, I like to think he uses that brilliant mind to imagine things he and Roy could do when they're alone :d *yum* I'd love it if people get excited about the manga and the new anime coming out in April just from reading these little flashes of story!

Paon: The manga certainly won't end like the anime, but it is moving forward towards the big day if the latest chapter scans from Japan are any indication. Whatever Arakawa decides to do, I will twist to suit myself anyway. RoyxEd forever!

EgyptMesi: The answer to kiss or punch turns out to be complicated by a case of mistaken identity, but you'll have to read on before I give everything away =D

Kitsune Tanaka: Here's the next serving, I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Please credit Hiromu Arakawa for her brilliant work.

* * *

Roy thought he would never get Riza Hawkeye to give him even a moment's peace. When he yelled at her back in the hospital room it was because he was so disappointed that she had been willing to give up on everything when she thought she had failed to protect him from Lust. He'd not meant to make her feel guiltier for Lust almost killing Havoc and him. He wanted her to think about herself for a change. Sometimes it felt like she was so tightly wrapped around him that he would strangle.

So he'd made up some lame excuse to get her out of his hair and then drove off at the first opportunity. Roy knew he'd catch hell for it later, but he was so tired of being strong in front of all of them. The wound on his side ached, his head hurt from trying to understand everything that was happening, and his heart ached for Jean Havoc who was likely paralyzed for the rest of his life because of their fight with the homunculus, Lust. Maybe Roy should have just let Jean bleed to death there on the floor of that abandoned lab…

The car screeched to a halt as Roy jumped on the brakes, stopping the car as swiftly as he stopped that traitorous thought. Roy didn't believe in an afterlife. He didn't think Jean would be going to some better place after this. Every one of them had to keep fighting with every breath left in their bodies or these monsters were going to win. Roy wasn't leaving anyone behind.

Roy stared at the white gauze wrapped around his hand and remembered cutting the transmutation circle into his own flesh so he could burn closed his wounds and Jean's and then go after Lust after she destroyed his ignition gloves. He tightened his hand into a fist and slammed it into the steering wheel in frustration. The driver of the car behind him, losing patience at him for blocking traffic for no apparent reason, honked and yelled as he pulled around Roy's car and continued down the street. Roy's eyes followed the other vehicle until they fell on a blond figure in a red coat standing on the sidewalk across the street. The light from the nearby streetlamp seemed to gather in that golden hair and gleam like a halo.

"Colonel?" Ed said, looking right at him. The boy crossed the street toward him, frowning in concern. "Is something wrong?"

Roy blinked when he realized he was staring. He silently shook his head, looking out at the street in front of him as if remembering where he was and what he'd been doing.

Ed leaned in the open window and fixed Roy with a measured stare. "Should you even be out of the hospital? Where's Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

Roy shook his head again, wearily. "Look, Fullmetal, I'm too tired to play 20 questions with you right now. I should be going."

Ed grabbed Roy's arm with his automail hand. "Take me with you." Ed's voice was rough and he was staring at his hand wrapped around Roy's forearm, rather than trying to meet Roy's eyes.

Roy closed his eyes. He suspected he would regret this later, but seeing Ed look at him with something other than the hurt, anger and betrayal he had gotten the last time they were together was actually a balm to his sore spirit. He gestured to the passenger side door with his thumb. "Get in."

Ed came around the front of the car and quickly jumped inside, slamming the door behind him. He glanced over at Roy for a moment before swiftly redirecting his gaze out the front window.

Roy shrugged, sighed, took his foot off the brake, and started driving. Though he didn't look directly over at the blond, Ed's presence in his peripheral vision seemed to glow with warmth. Just having Edward so close seemed to shine a light on the dark thoughts he had been drowning in earlier. He found himself unable to focus on the things that had occupied his mind only moments before. Instead, thoughts of Edward took over his mind. He wanted to ask why the boy had taken so long to get back to Central after Breda and Armstrong left him in Resembool to get his automail repaired. He wanted to ask him what he thought of the Cselkcess ruins. He wanted to ask if Ed hated him for lying about Maria Ross and not telling him about Hughes' murder. But he feared disturbing the peace that had settled between them, so he stayed quiet.

They left the noise and traffic of the city behind.

"Colonel, where are we going?" Ed asked quietly, staring out the window.

Roy blinked in confusion. He hadn't even realized until now where he was taking the teen. He cleared his throat. "I thought you wanted to come with me."

"I did. I mean, I do. It's just… I promised to meet up with Al later."

Roy slowed the car and turned off onto a dirt driveway. "It's not much further," he reassured the boy.

They pulled up in front of the abandoned home Roy kept as a meeting place on the outskirts of Central. Away from the lights of the city, only the headlights of the car and the stars overhead provided any illumination. Roy shut the engine off and switched off the headlights, throwing them into relative darkness inside the car. He looked over towards the blond, but saw only a vague outline against the darkness. He listened to Ed's breathing accelerate as the teen shifted uncomfortably on the seat. Roy was surprised to find that he was holding his own breath in anticipation. He thought about the number of times he had parked in the darkness with a date in his car. He resisted the strong urge to slide across the seat and put his hands on the other alchemist.

"Colonel." His title was the barest whisper in the darkness, so intimate that it made Roy shiver.

"What –" Roy's own voice sounded rough and loud to his ears. He cleared his throat and started again, modulating the tone to match Ed's whisper. "What it is you want from me, Fullmetal?" And despite his best efforts at control Roy's voice was husky and full of need.

The boy gasped softly in surprise and grasped Roy's thigh in the darkness. "What did you say?"

Roy was surprised by the intimacy of the touch, and the sense of desperation both in the teen's words and in the tightness of his grip on Roy's leg. "You asked me to take you –" Roy broke off, as his mind played with the sound of what he'd just said and an alternative meaning it found more pleasant to contemplate. "What do you need, Fullmetal?" Want, need, take. All words of desire. And the hand on his thigh flexed and squeezed in a way that drove other thoughts out of Roy's head.

Edward slid closer in the darkness, starlight glinting off golden eyes as he seemed to study Roy intently. "You sound like the Truth in my dream… Is it really you, Roy?"

Roy?! A frantic fear suddenly gripped Roy's mind as cold adrenalin rushed through him. Fullmetal never called him by his first name. Never. He knew there was a homunculus who could take any form. Had he just sealed his death warrant by driving out to the middle of nowhere with a deadly enemy beside him the whole time? He reacted quickly, pinning the hand on his thigh with one hand while he pushed the smaller form down hard against the car seat with his body. His free hand scrambled for the gun under the seat.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Edward's voice rang out in the darkness as the automail hand came up to push at Roy's shoulder and his legs scrambled for purchase, one propped on the seat and the other hanging down by the floor. "Are you crazy?"

Roy found the gun and pulled it out, straddling the teen's hips to keep from being thrown off. He held the gun near the window so the youth could see the starlight glinting dully off the metal barrel before he pointed it at the other's head. "Who are you?" Roy growled.

Edward stopped struggling the minute he saw the gun, and Roy couldn't decide if this was the homunculus putting on a good act or the real thing. "What is your problem, anyway? Did Lust give you a lobotomy, too?" Well, that sounded exactly like Fullmetal…

Roy smirked slightly despite the tension. "I read Breda's report. Why would I have cause to act this way?"

Ed heaved a sigh and seemed to think it over. "You think I'm Envy."

"Correct."

The boy gave a bitter laugh and squirmed slightly under him. "Well then you're an idiot to bring me out here where you're alone and defenseless. A few bullets wouldn't stop me if I was a homunculus."

"True. Unless you think I'll reveal something to you if you gain my confidence."

"So what would it take to convince you that I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"Tell me something only Edward would know."

"You're useless in the rain, Flame Alchemist."

Roy shook his head. "Riza tells everyone that. Besides, it's not true. That's how I was able to torch Lust in a room full of water." The gun in Roy's hand dipped slightly.

"I hate milk."

"Everyone knows that, too, you loud-mouthed brat. You stood up in the mess and screamed it at me a few months back." Roy's grip on the weapon relaxed further.

Ed's grin was devilish. "Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." He sounded so pleased with himself. The boy closed his eyes and his face became serious. "My brother and I used forbidden alchemy to try and raise our mother from the dead."

Well, either this Envy was a damn good actor, or this was Edward. He knew that look of guilt so well. But, "the homunculi know that already. It's why they're interested in you." Roy's side had gone from a painful aching to a stabbing pain, so he settled back on his heels a bit to ease the strain and rested more of his weight on the teen beneath him.

The moon crested the trees that surrounded the clearing where the house was built and filled the car with shining silver light. Roy could clearly see Ed's face now. The boy was blushing, but his eyes remained closed. "The last time we were together in your office, you - you almost kissed me," Ed whispered softly.

Roy released Ed's pinned flesh hand and Roy's hand holding the gun dropped to his side. His voice was teasing when he spoke. "Wrong again, Fullmetal. I believe it was you who almost kissed me." He leaned over slightly to set the gun on the floor of the car.

The boy's eyes opened half-way, the golden irises almost swallowed completely by pupils stretched wide, so that Ed's eyes looked as dark as Roy's own. The blush on Ed's cheeks had darkened and he bit his lip, a slight frown creasing his forehead. Roy tilted his head and studied this alluring sight. When did the boy he used to love to flirt, tease and taunt with grow up? This was not the same youth who had left him a few weeks ago. "You've changed," Roy said softly. He brought a hand up to gently stroke the teen's jawline, his thumb tracing the contour of Ed's chin. The blond leaned into Roy's caress, his powerful body shivered between Roy's thighs and Ed's flesh hand was now stroking the firm muscle at the front of Roy's thigh.

"Fullmetal," Roy growled in warning. "Don't –"

The look Ed was giving him was lustful and determined, with those fierce golden eyes that seemed to burn from within. "No more lies, Colonel. An alchemist is someone who seeks the truth. I'm tired of running away from this and hiding what I feel." Ed's automail hand slid over to grip the front of Roy's jacket and pull him down toward those waiting lips.

Roy pressed his hands into the seat cushion on either side of Ed's head, trying to resist the pull that felt as inexorable as the tide. "No. Fullmetal… Ed – stop!" Roy hissed the last protest just before his lips brushed the surface of the boy's mouth. It should have been awkward. The mouth that sought his was hungry, demanding and inexperienced. But Roy surrendered to the sweet temptation, letting Ed have as much as he wanted. And when Edward had gotten enough to wet his appetite, Roy tipped his head and relaxed the firm press of his lips, showing the boy what new pleasures teeth and tongue could bring to a kiss.

Ed groaned beneath him and pressed up into Roy's body, full of want and passion. Roy's head reared back in alarm when he felt the teen's hard need pressed against his hip. This was rapidly getting out of control. Roy needed to put distance between them or he was likely going to do something he and Ed would regret.

Ed must have sensed Roy's hesitation, because he brought both arms up to wrap around Roy's neck, pulling Roy back down to those sweet, swollen lips already slick with Roy's saliva. "I want you, Roy. I need you," the blond pleaded softly, destroying Roy's attempt at resistance. The insanity that was Ishbal, the chaos that surrounded them now, everything combined to remind Roy how fleeting joy could be. Didn't he and Ed deserve to snatch what little pleasure they could get before they had to dive back into the maelstrom? What right did he have to deny Ed's needs when they aligned so completely with Roy's own?

Roy sank into the teen's warmth, sliding his lips down over Ed's jaw, biting and sucking at the exposed curve of neck. Ed's moan felt like a purr against Roy's mouth as Roy's hands slid beneath the boy's black tank top to explore that hard muscled flesh. Ed squirmed and panted, then brought his flesh leg up to hook over Roy's hip.

"Ah!" Roy gasped in agony as Ed's knee accidentally slammed into his wound. He pulled quickly away from the blond and only just managed to get the door open before he spilled out onto the ground and threw up. As if he wasn't in enough pain already, the tightening of his abdominal muscles that accompanied the act of throwing up left him white-faced, covered in sweat and panting in distress.

"Shit!" Ed exclaimed, practically leaping out of the car to stand over him where he knelt on the ground. "I'm so sorry. I forgot. Crap! Are you gonna be alright?"

Roy closed his eyes and gasped out a weak laugh. He nodded his head slightly, unable to find strength for words at the moment. Ed ran inside the old house and scrambled around, while Roy finally gathered his senses and forced his body to cooperate. He sat back on his knees and opened his uniform jacket. He could see where blood had soaked through the hospital bandages and darkened his white dress shirt. He was going to need to change the dressing and get some rest. Assuming he survived Lieutenant Hawkeye catching up with him.

Roy looked up to see Ed staring down at his bandaged side. The boy was clutching a dripping cloth in his automail hand. There was obvious distress in his expression. "I'm so sorry, Colonel. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Roy reached up and took the wet cloth, wiping it over his face. "It's okay," Roy answered quietly. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have let it go that far."

"Do you regret it?" Roy could clearly hear the fear in the boy's voice.

Roy looked up at Ed and reached out to take his flesh hand. "No. Never." Roy used the blond's strength to help get him back on his feet. "There are so many things wrong with this situation, Fullmetal. I think we both know that. But –" Roy looked down into Ed's eyes, those honeyed depths where he would gladly drown. "I want this. I want you. That's the only truth I can give you, Ed." He reached out to brush back the blond bangs, wanting to clearly see the teen's face.

Ed stared up at Roy, his expression open and unguarded. But Roy didn't see the youthful infatuation he was expecting, or even teenage lust. Ed was looking up at him with the same fierce protective love he displayed toward Al. It took Roy's breath away.

Ed gave him a lopsided grin and reached out to fasten Roy's jacket. "We should get back before Al and Lieutenant Hawkeye call for a search party."

Roy nodded.

"Are you okay to drive?"

Roy snorted. "Like there's any chance I'd let a pipsqueak like you behind the wheel –"

"PIPSQUEAK!" Ed was obviously making a tiny effort at self-control when that was as far as the rant went. "Just get your ass in the car, Lord Useless, before I alchemize you to the roof and you can see how well I drive!"

"You really are an impossible brat. What the hell did I ever do to get saddled with you?" Roy groused, getting back in the front seat behind the steering wheel.

"Well you are a Mustang aren't you?" Ed quipped as he got settled back on the passenger side of the front seat. "Someone had to break you for riding."

Roy looked over at Ed and watched the boy turn a deep crimson when he realized that his words were a double entendre. Roy snorted. "Real original, Fullmetal. Like I've never heard that one before." He started the car and drove back down the dirt road.

"That's not what I meant, you pervert."

Roy laughed as he pulled out of the driveway and headed back toward Central.


	10. Consequences

**AN:** So I have to apologize for changing the fic rating on this one, but today's chapter definitely strayed into 'R' territory, so I thought I'd give you all fare warning. I really tried to keep it 'T', but the boys weren't cooperating.

Review replies:

Kitsune Tanaka: This chapter definitely contains more kissing, but I would call it more heated than awkward this time.

Egypt Mesi: Ed and Roy just aren't fated for too much fluffy is just too dark a tale to accommodate that. I like the way they fight, even when they're together. It adds spice to their relationship.

nendo-chan: We may need to get a doctor to look at your nosebleed, especially after today! I'm glad you think the boys are still in character and I spend a good deal of time pouring over the manga to find just the right spots to drop in my Roy/Ed goodness. I don't want Ed to end up with Winry, but I do prefer MangaWinry to AnimeWinry.

Paon: But of course there will be a next time, and they will always take two steps forward in their relationship, but expect frequent interruptions and some setbacks.

SeeInBlackAndWhite: I'm so glad you were sucked in by the wormhole. Welcome to my twisted universe on the other side =D

GoldenKitsuneHime13: Sorry I had to go there with the whole riding a Mustang thing. The imagery is way, way too tempting…

Luna-Lunak: I didn't think anything less than real love would bring these two together. It's not something either one expected or is necessarily comfortable with, but once you find yourself in it, there's no denying the spell you're under.

Background: This chapter fits in around manga volumes 11 and 12. After his visit to the Cselkcess Ruins, Ed returned to Resembool where he met his father for the first time in like 10 years. You can imagine how well that went down, although Ed didn't resort to actual physical violence. But his father did challenge him with why he burned down their house and what exactly he created in that fateful transmutation. Ed decides he has to know the truth, so he and Granny Pinako go out to where she buried it and they dig up what Granny buried that night 5 years ago. You can really see how much it's killing Ed to do this, but he has to know. And the sad truth is that what he and Al created was not a resurrection of their mother, but some other creature altogether – some thing that Al's soul was temporarily bound to before it rejected. You see Ed finally accept that nothing that has truly died can ever be brought back, but also that Al is clearly not dead. He decides he needs to find out how the homunculus bodies were created. Not that Ed's had the life of a kid before this, but he sheds any illusions in volume 11 and I made that part of his reason for confronting Roy about how he feels last chapter. Likewise, (same volume)Roy has his spectacular battle with Lust that leaves him hospitalized but Havoc is paralyzed. Havoc and Roy end up getting in a shouting match where Jean begs Roy to forget about him and just move on. But Roy refuses to let him go, saying that he will move ahead to make sure Havoc has someone to catch up to. Volume 11 is a wonderful showcase of angst for Roy and Ed. Delicioso!

**Disclaimer:** Hiromu Arakawa owns Fullmetal Alchemist, but like an alchemist, I reconstruct her work for my own pleasure.

Roy glanced in his rearview mirror at Edward slumped in the back seat next to Al. In addition to the myriad of scrapes, scratches and bruises, the teen's head was wrapped in white bandages. Roy remembered seeing the blood pouring down the right side of the boy's face. Its stark contrast with Ed's tanned skin made the injury obvious even from Roy's vantage point in the old bell tower where he and Riza had been situated. It had made Roy want to throw aside the radio equipment and rush out there to protect Fullmetal. Only Riza's gun-toting presence beside him stopped him from leaving. She had been livid when he arrived back at his place two nights ago with his stitches torn open from his 'encounter' with Ed. He wasn't going to tell her what really happened, but it was obvious she wasn't buying the excuse he gave her. All things considered, he wouldn't put it passed her to shoot him in the leg to keep him from getting killed. In his current shape, there was just no way he could go toe to toe with Scar the way Ed and Al were, despite the way he'd bragged to the boy when Scar first showed up. And any distance attacks with his flame alchemy were likely to injure the Elric brothers since they fought in such close quarters with Scar. Besides, he needed Scar to stay alive at least until the homunculi showed up to save Ed, their precious human sacrifice, or Ed's 'fishing' expedition would be for naught.

Roy had been forced to watch Ed from a distance, doing what he could through use of Fuery's rigged radio equipment to keep the MPs out of the area. He'd never observed the boy fighting like this. It sent a shiver down his spine. The teen was fearless, his moves death-defying. It was as though he and Scar were engaged in a deadly dance. Roy had feared a repeat of Ed's fight with Scar in East City, but it was obvious to him that the youth had changed in many ways since then. His speed on the battle field was blinding, his creativity unparalleled. If Roy and Ed had faced off again like their fight a few years back, Roy seriously doubted that he'd be able to beat Ed. He was so captivated by watching the other alchemist that Riza tapped him on the shoulder more than once to remind him that he was supposed to be misdirecting the forces at Central Command to give Ed's plan time to work.

"What?" Ed demanded angrily.

Roy started, his dark gaze locking with the golden gaze directed at him in the rearview mirror. He was staring again. He saw Ed's cheeks flush and the teen looked away out the window. Since they'd picked up Doctor Knox, Roy had been taking them back along the road he and Ed had traveled the other night. The night Roy almost lost control. The truth of their feelings sealed with a kiss. In the mirror, Ed's hand brushed across his own lips as if reliving that night. Roy looked away when he felt a surge of heat rise to answer the boy's unspoken desire.

"I'm not surprised they wrapped your head up," Roy said casually, forcing the sarcasm he didn't feel while focusing his eyes on the road. "After what you pulled today, I'd suspect there was something wrong with your brain, too."

"Aw, shut up, Lord Colonel. Maybe if you'd gotten off your ass and actually helped –" Ed broke off abruptly.

"Brother, that's not fair. You know how injured the Colonel is. He probably shouldn't even be out of the hospital." It amused Roy that Al was forever acting like the voice of Ed's conscience. He wondered what the younger Elric would say if he knew what had transpired between Ed and Roy the other night. Wait – did he know? The brothers were so close, almost constituting one whole being spread across two bodies. And Alphonse was amazingly perceptive at times, probably a combination of natural ability and endless sleepless hours at night to contemplate everything around him. Roy glanced in the rearview mirror again, but Al's slightly battered metal visage didn't betray anything of the thoughts that might be swirling through his head. Roy's own cheeks flushed at the thought that Al might already know how badly Roy had wanted to ravish the blond alchemist right here in this car. He directed his gaze back to the road with an almost desperate regard, hoping that Dr. Knox sitting next to him in the front seat would take his flush for anger at Ed's words.

"So who is this you want me to treat?" Dr. Knox asked into the uncomfortable silence.

"A fallen comrade. One of Lin's bodyguards."

"Lanfan?" Ed and Al asked simultaneously.

Roy nodded.

"Do you want to give me a better idea of what I'm likely to face when I get there? I hope I have the right equipment."

"According to Riza she lost her arm in the fight with the homunculi. She was lucky she didn't lose her life." Roy's eyes flicked up to the rearview to catch a glimpse of Ed turning very pale and looking nauseous, his flesh hand rubbing his automail arm self-consciously. Despite the boy's brassy exterior, Roy knew that he felt the pain of others very deeply. He also knew that Winry Rockbell had somehow become embroiled in the fight against Scar and Ed was probably imagining what might have happened to her.

"Will she be alright?" Al asked, that innocent child's voice echoing out of the hollow armor.

"Riza said she's very strong. She hid in the sewers while the three of you captured Gluttony."

"Sewers, that's great," Dr. Knox griped sourly. "As if traumatic limb amputation wasn't bad enough…"

Roy's voice took on a harsh edge, "You've seen worse."

Knox stared at Roy for a moment before directing his gaze out the window. "Remind me to thank you later for dragging me into this mess."

Roy smirked. He couldn't help it. Knox might think he was being sarcastic, but Roy knew otherwise. Roy had managed over the years to surround himself with highly capable and intelligent people who, despite the tremendous personal tragedies they had experienced, continued to shine with a core of empathy, understanding and unwavering regard for the value of human life. These people risked their careers, even their lives, to follow him. And Roy didn't delude himself that they did so entirely based on his personal charisma. He knew that they all shared a common vision of a better future.

Dim light emerged from the interior of the old house as they pulled up in front. The four occupants of the car got out and started toward the front door. Roy grabbed Fullmetal's flesh arm, holding him back.

"Riza is inside. She can help you with the patient, doctor." Roy waved him toward the front door. "Al, I need to speak with your brother privately for a moment."

The gleaming eyes that lit the armor helmet seemed to look right through Roy. If Al knew what was happening between Ed and Roy, he wouldn't likely allow Roy to walk off into the dark with his brother. Roy actually squirmed slightly, waiting, hoping and praying. The seconds seemed to tick away and still Al silently regarded the other two alchemists. Roy sure hoped Al got to be a parent someday because he had already mastered the guilty conscience thing.

"It's alright, Al. I'll be there in a minute. I promise," Ed assured his sibling.

"Okay," the younger Elric finally responded, turning to follow Dr. Knox inside.

Roy steered Ed toward the old barn. The blond wrenched his arm away from Roy and stormed ahead in a huff. When they were out of sight of the house, Ed turned on him. "Great! What the fuck did you do that for? Now you've got Al suspecting something."

"Why? What have you told him?" Roy demanded sharply.

"Nothing! I'm not an idiot, you know," Ed hissed. "That's hardly a conversation I'd look forward to. I can hear it now. What did Mustang want, Brother? Oh, he's decided to play for the other team, so he dragged me behind the barn for a quickie."

Roy snorted a laugh and felt his tension ease somewhat. "I did not drag you back here for a quickie."

Those golden eyes gleamed like a large predator's in the faint light. "Really? That's too bad," the boy rumbled, pouncing on Roy and pushing him back against the wall of the barn.

"Fullme- " was all Roy got out in a gasp of surprise when the boy's lips met his own. The automail hand gripped the collar of Roy's white dress shirt to drag him down to Ed's level, while the boy's flesh hand slid under that un-tucked shirt and came to rest pressed flat in the hollow under Roy's breastbone but above his navel. The boy's hand was hot on Roy's skin, as if he were running a fever, and the intimate contact was sending Roy's thoughts and blood rushing south.

Roy put his hands on the teen's shoulder and pushed back gently. "Ed –" he managed when his lips were temporarily freed.

"No talking," the blond growled, then gripped Roy's throat in his teeth like a lion going in for the kill. But instead of crushing pressure, Roy felt a slick, wet warmth slide across his larynx as Ed explored Roy's throat with his tongue. The hand on Roy's skin splayed out wider, the thumb sliding easily beneath the sagging waistband of Roy's loose grey slacks. The fingers curled over Roy's slim right hip, gripping him possessively, yet careful to avoid Roy's injured left side.

Roy's head dropped back and he groaned. "You're so reckless, Fullmetal."

"Mmm," was all Ed responded, his teeth, tongue and lips continuing their quest down the column of Roy's neck.

Roy swallowed against a sudden tightness in his throat. "You could have been killed today."

Edward pulled back and met Roy's gaze, his expression unrepentant. "I won't risk the lives of others anymore. I won't let you become another Hughes."

Roy winced at that, but he gripped Ed's shoulders tighter. "I'm as involved in all of this as you are, Ed. Let me help you. It's my duty to protect you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

Ed's eyes widened at those words. He seemed to soak them in and savor them for a moment, and then he shook his head and glanced at Roy askance. "You're such a player, Mustang. How will I ever know when you're spouting the kind of bullshit you use on your girlfriends and when you're telling the truth?"

Roy's right hand slid up to the boy's throat, his thumb caressing the soft hairs drawn back into a ponytail. "You'll have to trust me."

"But I know what a good liar you are. You twist your words around like a knot."

Roy's hand gripped that ponytail, letting the golden hair slide over his fingers and curl around the palm of his hand. He tugged lightly, forcing the teen's head back. "Then you'll have to learn to listen to my body and not my words. " Roy pressed a gentle kiss to the bandage above the boy's right eye.

Ed had obviously been hoping for more because he narrowed his eyes to slits and tugged Roy down towards him again. Ed kissed with the same breathless abandon he brought to his fighting. Though Roy could have sworn that the other night was the first time the teen had kissed anyone, he seemed to have paid close attention to how Roy kissed him back, because he was doing things with his lips, teeth and tongue that were quickly swamping Roy's senses. And Ed's hand at Roy's hip was sliding completely beneath the waistband of his slacks, thumb and fingers sliding back towards Roy's –

"Ed!" Roy snatched the hand out of his pants. He was flushed and panting and immensely grateful that his recent weight loss made his pants baggy enough to hide his obvious reaction to the teen. "What are you doing?"

The boy frowned up at him. "Duh. As if you didn't know…"

"We can't do that here. Your brother and my lieutenant are only about a hundred yards away. That's easily in range for Riza's rifle. Besides, you don't really know what you're asking for."

Ed pressed his lower body against Roy, making sure he felt Ed's state of arousal. Ed grinned when he felt Roy's response pressing into his abdomen. "You were the one who said to listen to your body, Roy. Your body is sending me a message, loud and clear. We both appear to want this," the boy's voice had dropped to a husky purr. The half-lidded gilded eyes did a slow take down Roy's body that was far too adult and sexy for the boy's own good.

For one crazy, desperate moment, Roy wondered if there was still hay in the barn's loft that he could throw this monster into and they could go at it right there, so tightly wound that neither one of them would last very long. He wondered if he could get the teen to cry out his name, or if Ed would simply utter a string of expletives as ecstasy overtook him. He thought it might be worth it to get shot by Riza if he could see what Ed looked like as he came.

Roy slumped against the side of the barn, drawing the boy between his splayed legs so their hips were on the same level. He was breathless with need and their position put them in the most intimate of contact while they still had clothes on. Ed's flesh hand stayed north of Roy's waistband, but seemed to find the toned expanse of his chest worth exploring, his thumb circling a hard nipple. The automail hand reached up to grip Roy's shoulder, kneading at his flesh. Roy's arms went around the blond, slipping under his soft black shirt, hands greedily exploring the hard muscle of Ed's back. Their kiss took on a new note of urgency. Roy moaned when Ed sucked at his tongue because it felt so good and it didn't take much imagination to picture Ed doing that on another part of Roy's anatomy.

"Brother? Colonel?"

Ed jumped away from him like a scalded cat at the sound of Al's voice.

Roy shook himself, trying to clear his head and bring his heart rate and breathing under control. He pushed himself up to a standing position, repositioned his anatomy to a more comfortable spot and straightened his clothes, again eternally grateful that his loose pants and un-tucked shirt would hide anything Al didn't need to see. He glanced over at Edward.

The teen was fiddling with the front of his pants even though Roy could tell his black dress shirt would cover his condition as well. But it was the flushed, breathless, guilty-as-hell look on Ed's face that Roy knew Al would pick up on.

"And in the future," Roy barked, making sure his voice carried, "I expect you to consult with me in advance before you go off and pull another harebrained stunt like you pulled today!"

Ed looked over at him in surprise before his expression softened into a sheepish grin of understanding. "I can't wait around for you and the government bureaucracy to decide something in committee, Lord Useless. Besides, we got what we were after, didn't we?" It took him a little bit to warm-up, but Ed was almost up to his normal rant by the time Al came around the barn.

"Colonel?"

"Yes, Alphonse."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Lieutenant Hawkeye wanted me to let you know that they have finished with Lanfan. It looks like she's going to make it."

"That's wonderful news, Alphonse. We're through here, Fullmetal. Go inside with your brother. I need to get something out of the car."

"Whatever. Like I care what you think," Ed groused.

Al turned and started marching back toward the house.

Ed moved to follow him, but Roy snagged his arm in passing and pulled him into a quick, hot kiss, his hand brushing teasingly down the front of the teen's pants. Ed moaned softly, but Roy released him abruptly to stagger after his brother. Ed shifted and pulled at his pants front again, casting a look of longing back at Roy before he turned and jogged to catch up with Al.


	11. Gluttony

**AN**: Thanks very much to the readers who've either alerted or favorited this fic. I knew I was taking a risk writing about the manga instead of the much beloved anime, but it seems to be paying off, so thank you, dear readers. I hope you continue to enjoy. Please drop me a review if you wish. This chapter follows almost directly on the heels of the last and is from Ed's POV. Material source drawn heavily from volume 12 of the manga, with my own yaoi twists thrown in, of course.

Review replies:

fritz42: Thank you very much. Ed's suffering from teenage hormones and having one's brother glued to one's side 24/7 doesn't give one any privacy to work these matters out by yourself (so to speak). So he is kind of taking his sexual frustration out on Roy, but honestly, you don't hear the man complaining. I'm really happy it gets you reading the manga. The new anime coming out in April was what got me reading all my volumes (and the scans from Japan, too) again and inspired me to write this.

nendo-chan: I really like AlWin. There's a lot of manga evidence to show that Al really cares about Winry, but it's also very clear that Winry has the hots for Ed. I agree that the manga is pointing very strongly EdWin and Royai, but until Arakawa spells it out completely, I'll continue to live in my yaoi fantasy world. I'll be sure and put warnings on future chapters so you can prepare the Kleenex for those nosebleeds.

Egypt Mesi: Sorry we didn't get to the lemony goodness, but Ed's just going to have to endure hormonal hell for a little while longer. But he's not the only one who's horny. Roy's just got fourteen years of self-control more than Ed.

Luna-Lunak: What's not to enjoy about a little RoyEd induced meltdown? Like dipping your brain in warm chocolate… *shares Luna's cookies with other fangirls*

Paon: I love Ed too much to kill him or send him away from Roy! That would be too cruel. Roy does worry about his favorite bean, it's just hard for him to show it.

Nikkie23534: Welcome! It's always a pleasure to add new readers. I'm glad you like the mix so far. I'll try my best to keep you entertained =D

TenshiShanai: As much fun as it is to write the lemony goodness, maintaining the sexual tension is always important to the story.

**Disclaimer:** Hiromu Arakawa owns Fullmetal Alchemist, but like an alchemist, I reconstruct her work for my own pleasure.

* * *

They stood almost shoulder to shoulder in the hallway of the old abandoned house, their voices raised in angry dispute. Just a few feet away lay the prize of their earlier hard-fought battle and the source of their current dispute, Gluttony. He was bound fast into the shape of a ball with the strongest cable Ed could produce with his alchemy. Lin had been the one to deliver the small bomb directly into Gluttony's mouth that had blown off the top of the homunculus, and then trussed the creature up fast before the philosopher stone within could regenerate Gluttony's form. The end result was that the creature had re-formed within the confines of the cable, further tightening its bonds. Roy had just finished describing what a homunculus was to Dr. Knox when Lin made his wild claim that King Bradley was a homunculus. Ed had never before seen that look of raw ambition and determination etched more clearly across Roy's face than when he declared that this information gave him all the more reason to drag Bradley off his presidential throne. But it was the subsequent comment to which Edward objected. Roy intended to question Gluttony and then tear him apart to get the philosopher's stone and heal Havoc.

"Now just hold on!" Ed shouted angrily. It's not that he didn't want Havoc to be able to walk again, but right now he and Al were facing the very real possibility that Al's armor body would reject his bound soul at any moment. Havoc would live even without the stone, but Al could be lost to Ed forever, an option he refused to accept.

Lin was equally angry, since Gluttony represented his best lead on the secret of immortality. Lanfan had paid with her arm for her prince, Lin, to be able to bring that secret back to the imperial house in Xing and stake his claim on the throne. Ed could sympathize with Lin's anger. It was hardly equivalent exchange for them to have risked everything and come away with nothing.

Dr. Knox, looking like the one sane person trapped in the asylum, shrugged and shook his head wearily. "I can't handle any more of this. I'm going home, Mustang."

"Wait –" Roy protested, apparently hoping Dr. Knox would be the objective vote in their dispute about Gluttony's fate, but Ed and Lin weren't done stating their cases, so they all missed the fact that Gluttony's beady eyes had lit up at Roy's name and didn't hear his first few cries until their volume and intensity exceeded the heat of their own argument.

"Mustang. You killed Lust. Lust! Colonel Mustang!"

They all turned to look at the homunculus and Ed's eyes opened wide in surprise. The blue crackle of alchemy danced over the surface of the creature. The cable was creaking ominously and he could hear the sound of rib bones cracking as a gaping black hole opened in the creature's chest. Ed's breathing stopped and his mind seemed to go numb as he found himself staring into the all too familiar eye of the portal that resided within the doors of the Gate.

"Roy Mustang!!" Gluttony howled, as the homunculus seemed to explode outward.

Ed should have been dead, hit by the blast that tore a sizable chunk out of the house they were standing in as Gluttony's body tore free of the cable and dug a deep trench that stretched for yards across the darkened ground outside. But instead he found himself on his rear-end looking up in surprise at Roy. The Colonel winked at him and Ed realized that the other alchemist must have been what tugged at his shirt and dragged him out of the path of destruction.

Ed looked out into the night at Gluttony crouched like some large predator preparing to attack. His eyes gleamed in the reflected light from the house. Ed's skin crawled because he could just make out the edge of the hole that had opened up the homunculus from mouth to waist, gleaming bone fragments jutting out like fangs in a vertical mouth, a mouth that seemed to open directly to the portal of the Gate. "Wha – what did that thing just do?!" Ed heard the raw panic in his own voice, but at the moment he didn't give a shit.

"Colonel!" Ed heard Riza's voice edged in the same panic as his own before he saw her jump into the trench Gluttony had carved between where he'd been and where he now crouched. She was facing the house, unaware of what lurked behind her.

"Stop, Lieutenant!!" Roy bellowed, moving to get around Ed.

But Gluttony had risen to his feet and Ed knew who his real target was. Everyone else was just collateral damage. Ed tackled the Colonel, grabbing him around the legs until he fell flat out on the floor just as questing shards of bone extended out to graze the space Roy had been standing in. There was no questioning the sheer destructive power of Gluttony's attacks. He seemed to be able to consume anything that his new mouth reached out for, tearing a new hole in the house and slicing off the end of Riza's rifle as though it were butter.

The latest damage to the house compromised its structural integrity and it seemed to groan in protest before debris rained down on them. Al threw himself over the top of the others, an armor shield against the larger beams that came crashing down. Through the noise of the partial collapse of the house, Ed could just make out Gluttony yelling for Roy before pistol fire echoed in the night.

"Colonel!!" Riza's shout was hoarse and raw with emotion. Pinned momentarily beneath Al and the wreckage, Ed couldn't help but remember what Al had told him about how Riza had reacted when she thought Roy was dead, killed by Lust in the secret tunnels beneath lab 3. It didn't sound like a subordinate worried about her commander. And after hearing her just now, he was starting to think it was far more than a friend's concern, too…

Roy crawled out from beneath Al, a look of fear and desperation on his face. His own voice was none too steady as he yelled. "Don't provoke it, Lieutenant. I'm the one it's after!"

"Mustang!" Gluttony howled.

His cry acted on the others like the starter's pistol at a sprint - their dusty, bruised bodies flying away from the spot they had occupied, just missing being hit by the sweeping jaws of destruction. The crackle of alchemy sizzled in the space behind them, dissolving everything it touched and drawing it into the void inside Gluttony.

Ed paused to get his bearings, crouched in a swirl of dust between Al and the Colonel. He stared at the thing Gluttony had become. It was a slavering monstrosity out of anyone's worst nightmares. And the sight of it made Ed think of Scar's words from their battle earlier today. 'You claim that you wield the power of creation?! The same power that turned that innocent girl into an abomination? Such power succeeds only in creating tragedy.' Ed couldn't deny the truth behind Scar's words where they concerned things like Nina. Alchemists did some terrible things… but this? "Is… is this the kind of monster alchemy can create?"

"We have no choice. I'm going to kill it." Roy's voice sounded cool and confident beside Ed.

Ed glanced over at the man he had come to care so deeply about. Roy had pulled an ignition glove out of his pocket and was sliding it over his hand with practiced ease. Seeing him so calm under pressure reminded Edward of the fact that Roy Mustang was the Hero of Ishbal. This man had supreme confidence in the destructive power of his alchemy and he was taking back control of the situation. Ed felt a measure of his tension ease.

"Wait! A live homunculus is just what we wanted, right?" Al protested.

"Our survival gets priority," Roy responded. His snap sent a crackle of sparks into the night, and then a ball of fire lit the darkness, engulfing the homunculus where it stood.

Ed felt a grin of pride steal across his face as he marveled at what this man could do. The immense power was a heady intoxication and Ed found it very sexy. His eye cut over to the figure beside him, black hair and coat swirling in the wind created by the explosion of flames, handsome face lit by the fires of his own creation. Ed flushed in embarrassment when he felt the surge of lust rush south, heating a path from his navel down to a certain part of his anatomy that wanted so very much to get closer to the Flame Alchemist. Edward growled in protest at his own lack of control. 'Fucking hormones!' he thought, and then snickered quietly at his own unintentional pun.

But Roy's face had gone from supreme confidence to shocked horror as a moaning wail filled the air and the vast fireball was sucked inside Gluttony's opening. A loud belch followed.

Roy's face was pale and sweaty, his brow drawn down in a tight frown. "He swallowed the flames?" he asked incredulously. He seemed unable to fathom such a thing.

Then they heard that noise, that creaking of bones that warned of imminent attack. They were too close, too vulnerable standing here within easy reach of Gluttony's gaping maw. Ed grabbed Roy's arm and jerked him along as Ed made a break for it, running diagonal to Gluttony's angle of attack, Al hot on their heels.

"You're useless!!" Ed screamed, because he couldn't say all the other things he wanted to.

"Then why don't you do something?" Roy challenged back.

"No offense, Colonel, but would you mind not following us? It's you that thing wants!" Al added, passing them both as he called on his endless reserves of stamina.

"Head for the woods! Split up!" Roy barked as they ran. But Ed didn't miss the way his breath wheezed painfully or the wince of pain on his face. Adrenaline was a powerful ally, but even its influence waned over time. Roy wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. Ed needed a plan.

Gluttony was only really after Roy, incensed by Roy's cremation of his fellow homunculus, Lust. Each attack Gluttony made had been preceded by Roy opening his mouth and speaking. So did the thing hunt by sound? Ed scrambled up a tree, trying to get a better view of their surroundings. But Gluttony had found Scar without Scar being terribly vocal… So what was it? Ed couldn't reproduce Roy's voice through alchemy, but he could make a copy of his form from the wood or the earth around them.

Shots rang out in the night and Ed's heart seemed to squeeze down small in his chest. He could just make out the flashes from the gun as he leaped down out of the tree and ran in that direction. Ed heard something fairly large rushing through the undergrowth toward him, so he took to the trees again, hoping to stay out of sight.

Beneath him, Roy staggered and fell, clutching his wounded side, gasping for breath, his face drawn up in agony. He looked as bad as when Ed kicked him the other day. Worse, actually, because it was obvious that the man was beyond the limit of his body. "This is pathetic," Roy ground out quietly between stuttering gasps of pain.

Ed heard the car's engine roar to life in the distance and hope sprang anew. If he could get Roy in that car, the dark-haired alchemist would be able to leave the scene safely. But he needed to distract Gluttony, damn it! Roy wasn't going to be able to make another run for it. Ed dropped down out of the tree, landing nimbly beside Roy. "Hey, Useless," he murmured softly, crouching down next to the Colonel.

Roy did his best to wipe the agony from his face and fix his Colonel mask in place. "Get out of here, Fullmetal. If he attacks, he can finish us both off."

Ed put his hand on Roy's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm not leaving you. You can't make it alone."

Roy glared at him, but Ed shrugged off the angry look, leaned forward and pressed his lips to Roy's sweat-damp forehead.

They were behind a shroud of bushes, not easily visible, but Roy's gasping breaths sounded loud in Ed's ears. He rose above the cover to listen for the others. The car was still idling somewhere in the direction they had come from. He could distantly hear the sound of Al's armor tread clanking through the night. Then he heard the sound of something large moving through the brush nearby and caught the distinct sound of sniffing, like a dog tracking its prey. Scent. Gluttony hunted by scent!

"Take off your coat," he told Roy urgently.

The night dark eyes contemplated him. "This is hardly the time for that, Ed."

"Shut up, pervert. I'm trying to save your ass. Just give me the damn coat!"

Ed helped ease Roy out of the coat, then held it to his nose and inhaled deeply. It smelled exactly like Roy.

The Colonel frowned over at him.

"And your glove," Ed added. The ignition glove had a certain odor all its own and would add authenticity to what he planned to do.

Roy started to protest, but Ed fixed him with his fiercest glare. "It's not like they're helpful in this situation anyway…" he pointed out.

Roy sighed and surrendered the glove, too. By now, they could both hear Gluttony's snuffling noises. Roy's eyes lit up when he figured out what Ed was up to, watching the blond pull on his coat, stuff the glove in the coat pocket and tie a dark strip of cloth over his golden hair. "Ed –"

Ed looked over at the man he loved, unsure what to say or do. He needed to go, to set his plan in motion. But there was a good chance one or both of them could die here. Ed wasn't counting on any afterlife to bring them together again. He grabbed the back of Roy's neck and pulled him up into a fierce, passionate kiss. It lasted mere seconds, but Ed hoped it got his unspoken message across. "Don't die, Useless," he whispered. "Use alchemy to cover your scent once Gluttony is out of sight."

Then Ed was moving, scrambling through the undergrowth toward the sound of Gluttony. He popped up when he felt he was close enough, letting the homunculus see his dark coated form.

"Mustang!" Gluttony howled in triumph.

Ed darted away before the creature could launch an attack, never getting very far from Gluttony, but staying at an angle to his attacks. When he was sure he had drawn the homunculus away from Roy, he went back to stealth mode, putting distance between them so he could set up his decoy. A battered tree trunk, the coat and gloves and a little alchemy later yielded a passable replica of the Flame Alchemist bowed down in defeat, clutching his side, just as Ed had seen him moments ago.

"Where are you, Roy Mustang?!" Gluttony wailed to the night.

Ed backtracked toward the homunculus with a piece of Roy's coat for scent, drawing the homunculus toward his decoy with loud noises and that tantalizing scent. Ed tangled the cloth in a branch as if it had been torn off, and then broke off his efforts when he heard the homunculus closing on his position.

As quietly as he could, Ed circled back around Gluttony, following the sound of Al's armored body. He cut in front of his brother and signaled that they should head in the direction of the car. Al nodded and they made their way back through the woods as swiftly as possible.

"I'll make you disappear!!" Gluttony howled behind them.

They came to the spot where he had left Roy, but Riza had beat them to it. She had an arm around the Colonel and was helping him to stand. Ed moved in to assist her, but Riza glared down at him with her russet-colored eyes. "It's alright, Edward. I've got him. He doesn't need you."

He took a step back and frowned in confusion, his eyes searching the Lieutenant's face. There was dark accusation in her eyes before she focused her gaze on the man in her arms. Then her look softened to one Ed had recently become all too familiar with. Riza loved the Colonel. And with her sharp-shooter eyesight or her feminine instincts she had somehow sensed that Ed was her rival for Roy's affection. Damn it!

Ed shrugged as if it didn't matter to him. He gestured out of the woods toward the sound of the car's engine.

"Roy Mustang!" Gluttony exclaimed in triumph.

Ed turned when he heard the cry, glancing over his shoulder, halfway to the waiting car. He heard the distinct boom sound that accompanied Gluttony's attack. The decoy had been discovered and now Gluttony knew that he'd been fooled. It wouldn't be long before he was back after them. They had to get the Colonel out of here.

"Hurry up!" Dr. Knox called, leaning out of the window of the car.

Lin stood beside the car, looking anxiously between the prone form of Lanfan inside the car and the rest of the group heading toward them. Ed flung the passenger side door open and watched anxiously as Riza lowered Roy into the seat. Ed swore he could sense Gluttony's approach and his anxiety level shot through the roof. They were so close to getting Roy to safety…

Lin opened the door for Riza and she climbed in the back next to Lanfan, pillowing the girl's head in her lap. Riza looked up at Ed pacing around outside the car like a trapped animal. He saw her assessing look and resented it.

"Hurry up and get in the car, you useless fool!" Ed snarled, letting anxiety out as anger. He delivered a swift kick to the car door on Roy's side with his automail leg. The loud noise was effective in conveying his hostility. Riza's expression relaxed somewhat, but Roy's became aggravated.

"Hey! You can't tell me to leave at a time like this!" Roy exclaimed, looking out the car window at Ed. But Ed could tell that the Colonel was too out of it to have caught the exchange between him and Riza, so he needed to escalate his show of disrespect for Roy.

"You'll just be in my way!!" Ed shouted, his expression set in his fiercest aspect. Please just go, he thought.

"Please go!" Al spoke the words aloud that Ed couldn't.

Riza looked between Ed and Roy, and then added calmly, "I'm afraid I must concur, sir. You'll be no help to them in your condition."

Roy hung his head in defeat. He must realize he couldn't fight all three of them. Ed wanted to tell him that he loved him, that he needed him to go and be safe, that he couldn't live without him.

Ed's voice and expression softened. "Look, there are things to be done that only a Colonel can do. The fact that the head of the military is a homunculus isn't something that can just be ignored, is it?" He knew it wasn't fair to play to Roy's sense of justice and his need to set things right, but he'd do whatever it took to get them out of here. Precious seconds were ticking away.

Roy looked up at him. A wash of emotions played across his face, finally settling on determination. Ed suspected that Roy knew he was being played, but Roy seemed to accept it anyway.

"This is no time for chit chat. Hurry up and get in the car!" Dr. Knox exclaimed, revving the engine nervously with his foot on the gas pedal.

Ed, Al and Lin all looked at each other. They hadn't discussed it, but all three of them had reached the same conclusion. Ed smiled through the window at the others. "There's not enough room. Just go without us."

Ed felt Roy's gaze searing into him, so he directed his warm, gentle smile at Riza and Lanfan, instead. Out of sight, he pressed his automail foot against the car door to stop Roy from trying to get out. Just let me protect you, my dear Useless Colonel, Ed thought.

Riza and Dr. Knox exclaimed angrily in protest, but Lin added his quiet reassurance to Ed's argument. Lin, Ed and Al sought the philosopher's stone and they would do their best to retrieve the one that Gluttony contained. "We'll take care of him," Ed assured them with more confidence than he felt. "We're the ones that came up with this plan. It's up to us to clean up our own mess."

Roy wasn't buying it, his face set in a stubborn glare.

Ed's throat closed over. He couldn't say what he wanted to. He couldn't let Roy leave without saying it. He cleared his throat. "Thanks for all the help you've given us," he finished quietly.

Ed felt Riza watching him intently, measuring him. Then she offered him one of her handguns. They both knew it was symbolic. She knew that he was willing to sacrifice to keep the Colonel safe. She was trying to tell him that she was ready to share the burden of protecting Roy. Ed thought back to the fight with Scar. How Winry had almost used a gun to kill Scar when she found out that he had killed her parents. Then he remembered her words from the train window as she left for Rush Valley. 'Don't die.' The same thing he had told Roy just moments ago. He took the gun.

The boom of Gluttony's attack sounded, closer now than last time. Time's up, Ed thought. He saw his thought reflected in the faces around him.

Lin leaned in the window. "Please take care of Lanfan," he told Riza.

"Prince," Lanfan moaned piteously.

Ed rested his hand on top of the car door, letting his fingers lightly brush Roy's white dress shirt, the same shirt he had clutched so hungrily mere hours ago. Or was it a lifetime? Roy's dark eyes followed his movement, then rose to meet Ed's gaze. 'Don't die,' Roy mouthed the words, unwilling or unable to say them out loud. Ed forced a cocky grin before pulling away from the car.

As one, Lin, Ed and Al turned back towards the woods and their enemy. They walked away without looking back, their shoulders set and their faces determined.

"Prince!!" Lanfan's desperate cry followed them into the darkness.

**

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AN2

: Hey, biggest wordcount so far! This is the end of this arc. Sorry to leave you hanging, but there will be a time gap before the boys are together again. Hope you enjoyed! 


	12. Wrath

**AN**: Well, I was all ready to publish this file in the wee hours of Sunday morning when ff went down and has been down ever since. Just got home, noticed it was alive again and decided to post. Hope you enjoy! This chapter follows a night after the last chapter and is from Roy's POV. Material source drawn heavily from volumes 13 and (mostly) 14 of the manga, with my own yaoi twists thrown in, of course.

Review replies:

EvilAngelofHeavenandHell: I'm glad you liked the crack chapters, they are interspersed throughout when I feel so inclined.

nendo-chan: Just as I thought it would be fun to put RoyEd in the manga, I thought it would be fun to have a little friction between Ed and Riza – nothing serious, mind. After all, Riza doesn't grow her hair out long (the way Roy likes it) until AFTER Ed comes to Central to test for the State Alchemist exam. Perhaps Roy made an off-handed remark about Ed's beautiful hair…

SeeInBlackAndWhite: I'm glad you like my flavor of the manga canon. It just happens as I'm reading the content that my evil little brain says "Hey, why was Roy so crazy when Scar attacked Ed?" and the rest just comes pouring out on the fanfic page.

Nikkie23534: Thanks! I'm finally feeling well enough to sit down and type up the next chapters. It's amazing how important something as simple as breathing is…

Paon: The further in to the manga I get, the less like the anime it becomes. I hope I'm not confusing everyone with the differences. Riza's okay. I like her character. But she really belongs with Havoc =D

Luna-Lunak: LOLZ, I've never had a review with moaning noises… Wow, not sure I'm worthy. I don't want this thing between the boys to be a one-night stand. This has been building up between them for a while and it should be as perfect as possible. The little ponies are awesome, btw!

Sirius-Black-is-not-dead: More drama on the way!

EvilAngelofHeavenandHell: Thanks very much for wading in with reviews! They are always appreciated! Glad you were getting wrapped up in the pwp. Anything resembling actual plot is the fault of Arakawa. Hope to keep your interest!

**Disclaimer:** Hiromu Arakawa owns Fullmetal Alchemist, but like an alchemist, I reconstruct her work for my own pleasure.

* * *

Roy sat across from the homunculus he now knew as Wrath and wondered if, lacking his ignition gloves, there was any way he could incinerate the bastard in a ball of flame before that sword propped up next to Bradley would cut him down. Roy glanced down at the transmutation circle he had carved into the back of his own hand during the fight with Lust. Maybe he could do it if an ignition source existed in the room, but he knew from personal experience with Lust that a single death wouldn't kill one of these things. And Bradley would definitely kill him in return. And since Bradley was not the head of this snake of corruption that twisted through the heart of Amestris' military, all of Roy's people would be killed and the evil plans of the one behind the homunculi would continue with nary a hiccup.

'Patience, Roy,' he counseled himself silently. 'They haven't killed you yet, so the game isn't over.'

Roy's eyes tracked the movements of Bradley's servants, military men who knew they willingly served a wolf in sheep's clothing. It was hard enough for Roy to accept that so many people followed Bradley's commands without question, but to actually know that Bradley wasn't even human and still obey him? How did these men even sleep at night? Their actions betrayed not just a country, but the entire human race!

The whole setting was surreal, really. Here he sat in a warm, cozy room in the heart of Central Command, being served tea with the Fuhrer, who was actually a homunculus called Wrath. Wait, there were four cups of tea… Bradley was expecting two others to join their little tête-à-tête. Roy couldn't figure out what was left to be said. Bradley had made Roy's position crystal clear. Be a good dog or he would be punished, first through his subordinates and then directly.

Roy sat stiff backed with his arms crossed over his chest, trying not to show how tired he was or how much his wound was hurting him. He stared at the swirling golden tea in the fine bone china cup and caught himself thinking of Ed. Where was he? Had he even survived the night?

As if on cue, Roy heard the distinctive sound of Alphonse's metal armor coming down the hall outside the door. Roy sighed softly. Alive and, apparently, well enough to join them for tea. The door behind him creaked open, but Roy didn't feel compelled to turn around. He knew the mismatched clunking of those booted feet anywhere.

"Colonel!" Ed exclaimed, a world of emotion in his voice.

Roy frowned slightly and glanced over his shoulder as if Ed's presence meant nothing to him, aware of Bradley watching them both very closely. "Hello, Fullmetal," he replied coolly. But the blond teen's presence did wonders for Roy's nerves, bolstering his flagging energy and hardening his resolve to see this thing through. Roy closed his eyes for a moment to savor the feeling of relief. The boy smelled fresh and clean like he'd just come from the shower. When Roy opened his eyes again, he noticed Ed had on a clean set of civvies as well. Roy didn't miss the point Bradley and his people were making. If Roy and Ed just played nice and kept out of the way until they were needed, they would go easy on them.

Bradley told Ed to have a seat. Never one to obey an order he didn't agree with, Ed quickly took stock of the setting. "What's going on?" he demanded suspiciously.

Roy sighed. In his calmest, most collected Colonel-voice, he slowly and thoroughly described each and every transfer Bradley's people had executed overnight, moving Roy's entire team to completely different parts of the map with Riza positioned right under Bradley's thumb as his new personal secretary.

"What?!" Ed exclaimed angrily.

A sideways glance showed Roy that Ed still stood beside his chair, teeth now bared in a snarl. He could see the wheels turning in the boy's head. But he wasn't sure that Fullmetal had the complete picture. "The conspiracy turned out to involve more than just a portion of the military high command. Everyone is guilty." Roy's glare spoke volumes. 'Do you get it, now, Ed? We have no one to turn to for help. We will have to do this thing on our own.'

Ed's face paled and his hand clutched the back of the chair left out for him as if he needed the extra support. Ed finally sat as a stunned silence followed Roy's remark. Across the table Bradley sat sipping his tea as if nothing untoward had been said.

Roy lifted one hand to his jaw and leaned against it, trying not to watch Ed and Al taking stock of the situation. He guessed they were doing the very same math he had done before they got here. With their combined strength, could they take out Bradley? Would it even be worth the effort? But, more importantly for Roy, why had Bradley staged Ed's reality check to take place in front of Roy? Did Wrath know how close Roy was to the teen? Was this his way of killing two birds with one stone?

"Achoo!"

A loud sneeze issued from Al's armor, startling everyone at the table. Al tried a couple fake coughs to cover for the sound.

Ed took the opportunity to speak his mind about the incident in the hospital after lab 5. He struggled with the memory of a quirky but caring Fuhrer who had actually cautioned them and seemed to offer support. Roy understood Ed's confusion. Bradley had once been a human, just like them. But the power of the philosopher's stone within him had burned away anything that resembled humanity. When Bradley trembled at Elysia's cries during Hughes' funeral, it had been rage he was feeling, not sympathy or sadness. If Bradley was keeping them alive, he had a logical, emotionless reason for it.

The Fuhrer's response to Ed's comments was cold and direct. They were nothing more than valuable resources meant to stay quiet until the time comes and no harm would come to them.

But Ed seemed to know more than Bradley expected. He leaned forward in his chair and fixed Wrath with his burning golden gaze. "But when that time comes, what happens to everyone else who, unlike us, isn't lucky enough to be a human sacrifice?"

Roy's mind reeled. What was Ed saying? For some reason, Roy had thought that the homunculi merely intended to set themselves above mankind in this nation and perhaps in others. Roy had heard the legends of the fall of the Cselkcess Empire, and knew that human souls went in to making philosopher's stones, but he hadn't conceived of something like this. The entire nation of Amestris, millions of souls, consumed in the making of a grand philosopher's stone? It sickened him.

"I said that doesn't concern you, Fullmetal Alchemist," Bradley repeated in a sterner voice, unwilling to discuss the topic further.

Ed growled as he whipped out his bloodstained pocket watch, the symbol of his State Alchemist status. He thrust it out at Bradley. "I'm casting aside this alias."

Roy felt his jaw clench and the corded muscles of his arms tightened involuntarily where he held them crossed over his chest. 'Stop and think, Edward, please.' Roy watched as Ed seemed alight with his inner fire, too passionate to contain what he really felt and utterly fearless when it came to his own safety. The teen was metaphorically throwing himself on Bradley's sword with every word that left his mouth. Ed's speech was winding to a close as he tossed the watch out on the table. "I don't want to be a State Alchemist anymore," he declared.

Roy still didn't have a reliable ignition source, but he thought that he could upend the table they were seated at and use it as a temporary shield to block Bradley's first sword thrust. He slid his booted feet under the slanted table leg and prepared for the worst. Ed or Al would have to use their alchemy after that to get them out the door behind Roy. Roy watched Bradley for the fateful sign that he was fed up with Ed's insubordination.

Wrath smirked at Edward. "Keep carrying it with you, Fullmetal Alchemist."

But Ed shook his head. "I don't want it. I'm going to tell the other alchemists about this, too, and foil your plans."

'This was it!' The muscles in Roy's thigh bunched together as he held his breath in preparation for Bradley's attack. There was no mistaking the blatant threat in the other man's face and voice as he leaned forward and glared at Ed. "No. You will continue to serve the military of your own volition."

Ed scoffed, still so damnably cocky that Roy wanted to reach across and clamp his hand over that mouth before it dug a deeper hole than he was already in.

Roy watched Bradley sit back with a smirk and his eyes cut over to Roy before he leaned forward and rubbed his forehead as if in thought. "What was that girl's name again? Oh, yes. I think it was Winry Rockbell."

Ed might not have heard the first part of what Bradley said, but he definitely caught the implication of the last part, his eyes going wide in shock. Roy almost sighed in relief because he knew that threatening Ed's family was the surest way of gaining the boy's cooperation. Ed had proven over and over that he would do anything for the people he loved. It was cruel to watch, but if it meant Ed walked out of this room alive than Roy was grateful.

Bradley kept up his description of Winry, filling in every last detail so that Ed could have no illusions that Bradley was watching her, could likely have her killed at a moment's notice. The horror on Ed's face was clear. He glanced at Roy and Al in desperation and it must have finally sunk in why they were all here. Roy wasn't the only one with hostages being held to ensure his cooperation.

Like a cornered animal, Ed snapped. He leapt out of his chair banged both hands down on the table, upsetting his untouched tea cup."Don't you dare touch her!! Or the people she cares about!!" Ed snarled.

Bradley smirked like the cat that ate the canary, confident that he had Ed's number now. "You have a soft heart." He reached out to toy with the bloody pocket watch. "So, what will you do now?" Bradley leaned over and rested his jaw against his raised fist, those eyes as sharp as his legendary swords. "If you don't want it, I will cut you down." Bradley let Ed see his gaze sweep over everyone at the table, just so it was crystal clear.

Ed collapsed back into the chair as his passion drained away. He stared down at his reflection in the spilled tea as if it held some answer that was more palatable than the one he knew he had to give Wrath. The teen stood and reached out to take the watch back with a hissed curse. He slid it into his pocket and collapsed back into his chair.

Wrath was outright grinning at this point. "Very good!" he said in the exact tone one used to praise a dog for obeying some command.

Then Alphonse, by far the most physically intimidating presence in the room, spoke in that shy child's voice that seemed so incongruous coming from the giant suit of armor. "Allow my brother and I to continue our search so that we can find a way to get our original bodies back. Please."

Bradley shrugged and lifted his teacup to his mouth. "I don't mind." Then he turned that hard gaze on Roy. "What will you do, Colonel Mustang?"

Roy couldn't help but admire the homunculus' plan of attack. He had metaphorically whipped Ed into obedience right in front of Roy, knowing that Ed was Roy's wild card. Now he planned to show Ed that the big dog had been brought to heel as well. Roy paused and thought out exactly what he wanted to say. "Well, I may be a dog on a leash, but I can't stand to give up."

Bradley's expression hardened as Roy brought out his own pocket watch and dangled it in front of him. Roy expected this wasn't exactly the concession speech Wrath had hoped for. Too bad. If Roy had to roll over, he'd do it in his own way. Roy heard Ed's soft gasp and felt the teen tense next to him. If Roy moved to rebel, Ed would side with him. All their lives depended on Roy's decision.

"I still have my ambitions. At the moment, I can't afford to take off this uniform or rid myself of this." Roy slid his watch back in his pocket.

Bradley did sigh and Roy felt some satisfaction that he had given the homunculus pause. Then Wrath nodded and smiled. "Good. You are all dismissed."

They stood to leave, but Roy had to ask that burning question that he refused to let rest. "Were you the one who killed Maes?" Because if the answer was yes, then Roy would personally take this monster down right now.

"No. I didn't do it."

"Then who did?"

"I said I would answer one question," Bradley answered dismissively.

'He knows,' Roy thought. 'That son of a bitch knows who killed Maes and he refuses to tell me.' Roy felt a light touch at his elbow and looked down into golden eyes that spoke volumes. Edward understood what Roy was feeling and his look said that if Roy wanted to make it a fight right here and now, Ed would join him in battle without reservation. And they were all just as likely to be killed. Roy paused to collect himself, and then turned his back on the homunculus. "We'll be on our way."

Roy had crossed over the threshold of the door in the lead when he heard Bradley call Al back. It was followed almost immediately by the sound of metal puncturing leather as Bradley's sword passed directly through the middle of Al's chest plate. Bradley pulled the sword back and examined it, no doubt looking for some evidence of the source of the earlier sneeze. But the sword came back clean, so he dismissed Al as he sheathed his sword.

The door closed behind them and Roy led his small party down the corridor and around a corner before Ed and Al seemed to do a simultaneous shiver. Roy couldn't help twitching in sympathy. The boys had pulled one over on Wrath somehow.

Alphonse turned to Roy, his soulfire eyes pleading. "Colonel, will you give me Dr. Knox address, please?"

"Huh? Oh…" Roy reached in his jacket and pulled out his notebook and a pen. 'They must want to get Lin back to Lanfan,' Roy thought, wondering where the Xing Prince had disappeared to. "I don't mind as long as you keep it a secret." Roy carefully wrote out the address.

Ed turned on him and thrust out his hand. "And money! Gimme everything you've got on you!"

Roy took a moment to scratch out a second quick note and handed both to Ed as they fought verbally over how much money Roy had. He emptied his pockets into Ed's automail hand as the boy twitched and groused, and then the two Elrics beat a hasty retreat out of the building without even a thank you. Well, at least Al apologized, which was more than Roy would ever get from Edward.

"What's with them?" Roy sighed. It was always like that with the teen - all passion and fire and over way too soon. He hoped Ed read both notes before he gave Al the one with Knox's address. He really needed a moment or two alone with Edward after he'd had a chance to shower and change.

Roy just needed to find a car to take him home… Shit! "Oh no! The Lieutenant!!" Riza had dropped Roy off outside Central HQ over twelve hours ago. 'I'll come back for sure, so wait for me,' he'd told her. There was no way she would still be waiting! There was no way she wouldn't be waiting! She would never give up after he yelled at her following the encounter with Lust. Roy booked it out of HQ as fast as his tired body and his wound would allow.

**AN2**: The next chapter follows almost directly on the heels of this one and is from Ed's POV.


	13. Interlude

**AN:** Sorry, guys. It's been awhile since I last updated. Real life has been quite distracting lately. But if you've had a chance to catch the most recent chapters out of Japan you know that Roy is one badass mo' fo' when he's angry. And he's been saving up a lot of anger about Envy killing Hughes…

**Background:** Please skip if you're familiar with the manga. Let me fill in around some of the last chapters I've written in case you've gotten lost. As I mentioned previously, Ed came back to Central determined to find a way to restore Al's body. He decides it was a mistake to refuse Greed back when he was ready to cut a deal. So he and Al decide to go fishing for homunculi, using Ed as the bait. Lin, who still wants to get the secret to immortality to take back to Xing so he can succeed his father to the imperial throne, decides to join up with them. He and Lanfan have the ability to detect the homunculi because their lifeforce is so different from normal humans. So Lin and Lanfan wait in the wings while Ed makes a big splash around Central in order to lure out Scar. He's hoping the homunculi still need to protect him and will come to his rescue. Scar shows up, followed by the homunculi, and the team manages to secure Gluttony as their captive. But, because they weren't able to sense Wrath (the Fuhrer), Lanfan loses an arm in the fight. She actually cuts off her own severely damaged arm to save them! She is probably my favorite FMA female.

Anywho, they get Gluttony stashed at a safe-house outside the city, and then convene a meeting to decide what to do with Gluttony. You get the first half of that fight in the chapter I wrote from Ed's perspective. The second half of the fight takes up after Roy and Co leave, when Envy arrives on the scene. Ed, Al and Lin try to divide and conquer the two homunculi until Lin starts seriously pissing Envy off with his highly creative swordfighting. Envy tells Gluttony to just eat Lin, but Ed moves to save him and Envy tries to save Ed. The end result is that all three get sucked inside Gluttony.

Inside Gluttony is a sea of blood that contains the bodies and wreckage of years in an endless cavern of darkness. Thanks to Roy's flames getting sucked in earlier, Ed and Lin make torches and begin walking and walking and walking. There seems to be no end, nor can Ed alchemize his way out. Ed ends up carrying Lin when he collapses from hunger and they stop to rest on a stone tablet that turns out to be remnants from Cselkcess. Envy shows up. They find out that Gluttony was Father's attempt at making his own Portal, but it was a failure. They fight and Envy reveals his true form (yuck!). Ed comes face to face with the stone inside Envy and he gets an idea. Ed decides to transmute himself using Envy's stone to pay the toll in order to open the real portal and get them out. It works.

Meanwhile, Al is sunk in a pit of depression over Ed's apparent death. He decides not to give up and goes with the now calm and gentle Gluttony to meet Father and see if there is a way to get Ed back. They venture down into the underground world below Central and Al meets Father – a being who is a dead ringer for their father, Hohenheim! Ed, et al, break out of Gluttony while Al and Gluttony are in Father's presence.

When Father realizes that they are his human sacrifices, he acts kind and solicitous toward Ed and Al, healing their damage through alchemy without even clapping his hands and chastising them to be more careful. He seems surprised that they are the sons of Hohenheim since they don't have his name, but we find out that Ed and Al's parents weren't married. But Father's apparent kindness ends with Lin and he tells Gluttony to eat him again. Another big fight breaks out, but they can't even touch Father and when he gets pissed, he generates a ring of null alchemy around himself that neutralizes all reactions both above and below the city.

Father is impressed with Lin and decides to make him his new Greed. Without alchemy and restrained by Envy, Ed and Al are helpless to save Lin. Ed pulls Riza's gun in desperation, but Lin makes him swear not to interfere. By becoming the homunculus, he will have gained his secret to immortality. A long internal battle ensues before Lin gives in to Greed's personality. Ed doesn't want to believe that Lin is gone, but the new Greed seems completely loyal to Father and unaware that he was ever Lin or even the old Greed.

May, searching desperately for her miniature panda, has gone down into the underground with Scar as her escort. They fight their way passed a sea of chimera guards and arrive at Father's chamber just after Lin becomes Greed. But the forms of alchemy that Scar and May practice are not susceptible to the null effect that Father used. Cue another fight sequence that ends with Al taking an injured May and hiding her in his armor, Scar escaping into the underground and the brothers Elric being taken captive by the homunculi and turned over to the military. And that's when Ed arrives in the last chapter I wrote, fresh from his shower and he and Al trying to hide May who is still concealed in Al's armor.

After their meeting with Wrath, Ed runs off in a panic to call Winry and make sure she's okay. They meet Greed who gives them a note for Lanfan. Despite his protests that he's Greed, Ed becomes convinced that Lin is still in there somewhere. Al goes to Dr. Knox to get treatment for May and Ed returns to the scene of his fight with Scar to repair the structural damage they caused. And that's where this little interlude (completely my own fabrication) begins…

* * *

Edward shuffled down the streets of Central, hands buried deep in the pockets of his long black coat, thoughts swirling around everything that had happened to him in the last 24 hours. He had just finished reconstructing the area they had devastated in the fight with Scar. Had it really only been yesterday? It felt like a lifetime ago. He had sent Al on alone to Dr. Knox house with May on the pretext that any of Bradley's spies were more likely to follow Ed than Al. But the other reason Ed wanted to be alone was written on a note in Colonel Mustang's handwriting and crumpled in the bottom of Ed's coat pocket. A note Roy had passed Ed along with Dr. Knox address. It contained a time and location. And though Ed was bone weary and mentally exhausted, he needed to see Roy, to touch him, to breathe in his scent, to hold him and maybe even taste him. The whole world was seriously messed up right now and he thought he might just need Roy's presence to maintain his sanity.

Ed took the old stone steps that wound up the inside of the bell tower two at a time, the tension coiling tighter inside of him the more he thought about Roy. Everything echoed inside the enclosed space, the heavy step of his automail leg, the scrape of his automail hand along the metal railing, even his panting breaths as the energy required to climb took what little strength he had in reserve. Trust Roy to pick a strategic location where they would be able to hear anything headed their way long before it reached them. Ed had to focus to maintain his hurried pace in the dim lighting because he was so tired that he was afraid of stumbling. Natural light stretched down from the rectangular opening of the door above him, beckoning him on. He rushed up the last few steps, and then paused in the open doorway.

Roy was standing next to the window, his shoulder pressed against the window frame. His eyes were closed and the warm afternoon sunlight lit the man's face and laid bare the Colonel's own weariness, fear and pain. It was a surprisingly unguarded moment reserved for Ed's eyes only, and the teen crossed the room in a few long strides and wrapped his arms tightly around the other man, pressing his face into the Colonel's chest. "Roy," was all Ed could manage to say in a rough whisper before his voice choked off.

He felt Roy's arms wrap around him and draw him in tighter against the larger man's frame, Roy's head coming to rest on the top of Ed's own. They clung to each other for a few precious moments, lost in the sound of each other's heartbeat. Ed remembered his own sense of desperation to get Roy away from Gluttony, to somehow protect him. There were so many times through the course of their long night when they each could have died, or worse, if you considered what happened to Lin. Ed pulled back and glared at Roy, before delivering a punch to his upper arm with his closed flesh hand.

"Oww, what the hell was that for?" Roy groused, his face reflecting hurt and surprise, as he pulled away from Ed and rubbed his injured arm.

"You dumbass! Why the hell did I bother saving your ass from Gluttony if you were just gonna turn around and hand it over to the Fuhrer!?! Some great strategist you turned out to be…" Ed looked away so he didn't have to see how Roy's features softened and a faint smile turned up the corner of his lips.

"It's okay, Ed. I'm alive and reasonably unscathed if you don't count my injured pride…" The older man's voice was warm and surprisingly gentle. Ed felt Roy's hand on the back of his neck, as Roy's thumb lightly caressed his earlobe.

Ed raised an arm and brushed off Roy's hand. He stormed away across the room, glaring at the radio equipment Fuery hadn't had a chance to remove yet, physically distancing himself from the person he most wanted to be near. "How can you say it's okay? This whole situation is seriously fucked up. Every time I think it's gotten as weird as it can get, something new comes up to slap me in the face! While you've been having tea with the Fuhrer, I've been – " Ed broke off. There was no easy way to summarize everything that had happened. He couldn't stop thinking about Greed walking around inside Lin's skin. "Lin, he –" Ed wrapped his arms around himself because he couldn't seem to stop trembling. He covered his face with his automail hand, overwhelmed by mental images of Roy being turned into a homonculi.

"Fullmetal," Roy's voice took on a stern edge. Ed heard the sound of his booted feet getting closer.

"Shut up! I never want to hear that name again! You dragged me into this whole mess! And that bastard Fuhrer is threatening everyone I care about!"

The sound of Roy's steps stopped abruptly. Ed thought he heard the other man hiss slightly as though in pain, but then the silence was only filled with Ed's own stuttered breathing as he tried to get a hold of himself. He was angry and hurt. When he thought about losing Roy it made him desperate like when he had lost his mother. He didn't want to be that out of control ever again. He felt like he was resisting some great tide that was pulling him back toward Roy. He wanted to run away. He didn't want another person to matter this much, damn it!

"How's Winry?" Roy asked quietly, his tone cool.

Ed lowered his hand and looked over his shoulder at Roy with a frown. "What?"

Roy wasn't looking at him. His face gave nothing away as he stared at one of the headsets on the table nearby. "That's who you ran off to call, right?"

Ed's frown increased. "Yeah," he said guardedly. He didn't like it anymore when Roy put up these barriers between them. It made him want to grab the other man and shake him.

Roy glanced up at him. "I'm sorry, Ed. I'm sorry I ever got you involved in this mess."

And Ed saw Roy trying to shoulder that burden of guilt, too, along with the destruction of Ishbal, the breakup of his team, Havoc's injury and Hughes' death. Three quick strides and Ed was in Roy's face, his automail hand wrapped in the Colonel's blue uniform jacket, He dragged the other man's face down to him. "Stop it," Ed growled. "It's not your fault."

Roy barked a short laugh, full of self loathing. He grabbed Ed's automail hand. "I might not be responsible for this," he squeezed his hand around the cold steel, "but bringing you into the military and dangling that damn stone in front of your nose –"

"Shut it! Listen, Bastard, you're far from perfect and you are a manipulative ass, but –" Ed floundered. He couldn't meet Roy's eyes. "But if you hadn't come along after we tried to bring Mom back–" Why did it still hurt so much? "You came and you saved me, don't you get it? You rekindled the fire inside me. You made me want to keep fighting, no matter how bad things seemed. You dangled temptation in front of me and I was hooked…"

"I used you, Edward. You're like a shining star, you're this amazing thing, and I dragged you to Central to show off my discovery so I could earn points with the brass."

"What else could you do? It's not like they wouldn't have found me anyway. At least you were able to claim me, to shelter me and protect me from the others. Who knows what would have happened to me if General Raven or General Hakuro had direct access to me?" Ed shuddered. He was glaring up at Roy now, willing Roy's midnight blue eyes to meet his own.

"They wouldn't have touched you. You're too much of a loose cannon…"

"A point you proved to all of them when we did that exhibition fight," Ed admitted. "And you also scared the shit out of everyone there."

Roy was looking him in the eyes now and Ed didn't miss the glint of mischief or the slight quirk of Roy's lips. "I knew they wanted you. They were practically drooling at the chance to claim you, if only for your unparalleled skill with alchemy. I just wanted them to know that you were mine and they'd have to fight me to take you away." Roy's voice had dropped to that rumbling purr that sent a shiver down Ed's spine. Those intense dark eyes looked down at him possessively.

Ed's automail hand tugged more insistently at the front of Roy's uniform, but his flesh hand joined the battle by wrapping around the back of Roy's neck. Roy's smirk widened slightly as he allowed himself to be drawn down to meet the boy's lips. A light taste and it was as though both of them surrendered control. Open mouths met as though attempting to draw life from the other. Roy tried to pull back and Ed growled and grasped his lower lip gently between his teeth. Roy's hands slid under Ed's shirt, running hot and possessive against Ed's skin. His thumbs brushing over Ed's hard nipples sent a shock straight through to Ed's groin. Ed's own hands fumbled with Roy's jacket, silently cursing all the hidden closures.

This time Ed found his back pressed against a wall, not really sure how they got there as clothes were frantically shed, Roy's jacket over the top of Fuery's radio equipment, Ed's coat flung into a corner. Roy had unbuttoned Ed's own shirt and slipped it down off his shoulders so he could run his teeth, lips and tongue along Ed's flesh shoulder, pausing to suck hard at the smooth skin stretched taut over powerful shoulder muscle. Ed groaned and squirmed against Roy's thigh pressed between Ed's own thighs, brushing with hard friction against Ed's arousal. Ed cursed the shirt that still confined his wrists, hands held captive behind his back until his mind reminded him how to undo buttons and he whipped the shirt off his wrists as Roy's tongue found the curve of his ear.

"Ed." Roy's hot whispered breath caressed the outer shell of his ear. Ed's hands wrapped around Roy's shoulders, as he lifted himself up against his Colonel's long hard form. Roy groaned a bit at the strain of Ed's added weight, one of his hands straying to his injured side as if he could physically hold back the pain.

Ed frowned and pushed Roy backwards, straining to get back on his own feet. "Idiot," he grumbled, glancing around their surroundings before pushing Roy back into one of the chairs by the table. Roy landed with a grunt of surprise before Ed straddled his lap and pressed a kiss into Roy's open mouth. Their tongues stroked and explored each other's mouths as their hands explored each other's bodies, hot and needy. Roy's hands slid down to grasp Ed's ass and press him into the hard bulge beneath Roy's uniform pants.

Ed's butt clenched with a thrill of unexpected fear when he realized exactly where his body was in relation to Roy's. Without the intervening clothing, Roy's erection would be right there, pressed against Ed's opening, straining to plunge deep inside him. Ed went very still, paralyzed with indecision. He had wanted Roy so badly. Everything they did together felt so damn good. But Ed understood the mechanics of how men had sex together and he wasn't sure if he was ready for… THAT.

"Ed?" Roy asked quietly, his dark eyes searching Ed's face.

Ed's flush of arousal was drowned in a blush of embarrassment.

"What's the matter?"

I'm afraid to go any further because I'm afraid to have sex with you. Even in Ed's mind that sounded ridiculous. "Uh-"

"Is something wrong?"

Ed shook his head and buried his face in the crook of Roy's neck.

Roy's hands slid up Ed's back and started stroking his skin in long soothing passes. He pressed a kiss to the outside of Ed's ear. "It's okay, Ed. We don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Ed didn't miss the muted disappointment in Roy's voice, the way he tried to control his breathing or the way he shifted his body beneath Ed's so the subject of Ed's sudden fear was no longer so obvious.

"I'm sorry," Ed mumbled, feeling incredibly lame.

Roy's arms closed to hug him tight. "There's nothing to be sorry about." He brushed his lips lightly over Ed's automail shoulder.

"I'm an idiot." He knew Roy wouldn't hurt him. He was probably passing up the greatest experience of his life because he was afraid. What was he so afraid of? He suffered terrible pain without any promise of ecstasy on an almost daily basis. But if it wasn't pain he feared, then what? If he were to share that kind of intimacy with another person – would it put Roy between him and Al? Would Roy become the distraction that prevented Ed from restoring Al? If Ed needed to make that final sacrifice, give himself to the Gate to restore his brother – could he do it? Would Roy let him? "I have to go…"

Roy pressed another gentle kiss against Ed's cheek before his arms dropped to his sides, releasing Ed.

Ed rose from Roy's lap, looking down into the endless depths of Roy's eyes. He wanted to say – something. I want you, I need you – I love you. Nothing could get passed the lump in his throat. He cleared his throat. "Al –"

Roy smiled gently. He took Ed's hand in his and kissed it. "I understand, Edward. Go to your brother."

"Roy, I –" Ed frowned. Damn it! He leaned over suddenly and pressed a hard, urgent kiss into the older man's mouth. Roy's hand rose to brush lightly over Ed's cheek as Ed pulled back, but he said nothing more.

Ed scrambled to collect his scattered clothes and left in a mad rush done the stairs, pulling his coat closed over his unbuttoned shirt. He knew he was running away, from Roy, from himself. But he didn't miss the look of sadness on Roy's face when he brushed Ed's wet cheek. And Ed tried to convince himself that the salty taste in his mouth was sweat and not tears.

**AN2**: Hope you enjoyed. Please review. I'll do review replies via the system this time since the background info took almost a page. Thanks for reading!


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